AU Stories
by UruExplorer DTC
Summary: A series of Alternate Universe Worlds featuring the Digimon Characters in non digimon settings. AU 'verse Six: Backstep. Warnning, T raiting is most applied in chapter five.
1. Taisky & Matt

**I DO NOT OWN A SINGLE THING, SAM I AM! AND NO: I WILL NOT TRY GREEN EGGS AND HAM!**

_AU Stories..._

**STORY SET UP_ _ _|**

Doru doru!  
This selection of Alternate Universe storys are events that happen to the Digimon characters, while being not in the Digimon 'Verse. Such as...Well...You'll see...

_DTC  
**  
Alt. 'Verse one: **_**Taisky and Matt.**_

DTC: Sitting here, and listening to the Starsky and Hutch theme, I'm struck by inspiration.

**SOMEWHERE IN THE US O' A_ _ _| SOMETIME DURRING THE '80's_ _ _|**

A dull grey sedan races down the street, weaving in and out of traffic, it's occupants having just robbed a bank.  
A bright red speed car races down the street, it's eagle like paint design and the fancy blaring red police siren signifying to all who it's occupants are, especially to those being chased by said car.  
Who, you may ask, are the ones inside the red speedster? Well...  
_"OY! STOP! POLICE!!!"_The blond haired occupant leans out of the left side window, and fires his standard issue revolver at the thieves. His name is Matt Hutchinson.  
"That's not going to work, Matt!" The driver, Taichi Starsky, called 'Taisky' by his fellow cops, states with a roll of his eyes.  
"You've got any better ideas?" Matt asks, sliding back into the car.  
"A few." Taisky smirks as he slams his foot down on the gas pedal, the "Speedor", as Taisky calls his car, suddenly lurches forward in a burst of speed. He soon is matching the supped up sedan in speed, and maneuvers. "NOW MATT!"  
"Gotcha!" Matt aims his gun out the window and shoots at the tires of the thieves car. Seconds later, the thieves return fire.  
Taisky rolls his eyes as he ducks his head from a stray bullet.  
_"Eagle one, this is command. Back up will intercept in ten minutes ETA. What is your status, Over?"_a female voice calls over the raido.

"We're being shot at!" Matt shouts as he fires again at the bank robbers.  
_"Roger that, guys."_The radio clerk lady giggles.  
"Sora! Not the best time!" Taisky growls as he swerves to avoid a shotgun blast, throwing Matt back into the car.  
"Got any OTHER bright ideas?" Matt asks.  
"Well..." Taisky rams into the other car, forcing them into a construction site. "How about a candlestick?"  
"Works for me!" Matt smirks as he talks back over the raido. "Command, this is Eagle One, over?"  
_"We read you eagle one. What is your status, Over?"_Comes another female voice over the raido.  
"We've cornered the suspects at the Railway house Diner construction yard. Going to apprehend, over?" Matt replies.  
_"Copy, Eagle One."_ Command states.  
Taisky smirks as he drives up a ramp, now alongside the burgerlar's car, but up and above by several feet. "Here's something you can't do!"  
The next few seconds go by like a blur, Taisky forces the car faster, and off the ramp.  
The thieves blink as Matt leans out the window and expertly shoots out the front tires.  
The Speedor lands on the ground and turns to a full stop with a loud "SQUUUUUUUUUUUUUEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAALLL", now blocking the thieves path, not that they could go anywhere, due to their front tires being blown out.  
Taisky and Matt climb out of the Speedor and come up to the now immobilized sedan, guns drawn.  
Matt calmly knocks on the driver side window, which is then lowered slightly.  
"Y-yes?" The getaway-driver asks, timidly.  
"Do you know your taillight's busted?" Matt asks, smirking.

END_ _ _|


	2. Serenity p1

**FAIR WARNNING, EXPECT SOME LANGUAGE. BUT, HEY, IT'S THE FIREFLY 'VERSE, WHAT DO YOU EXPECT?**

**_Alt. 'Verse Two: Serenity P1_**

DTC: I was listening to my music files last night, and I heard Firefly's opening theme. *hums a few bars* _Take my love, take my land, take me where I can't stand._Ya know it? Well, I heard it, and I thought of a brilliant idea. Digimon and Firefly 'verses as one.

**SHADDOW_ _ _| VALLEY OF SERENITY_ _ _| **

Gun fire razes the sky. The Independents and Allied forces war for the foothold the valley possesses.

Henry Wong ducks under the overhang of the small fortress as the Alliance DropShip races through the sky, picking off any Independents it can spot. "Rika! I need a status report on that covver fire!"

The red haired female shakes her head. "Command says that it's too hot with that gun ship."

"Well then." Henry smirks. "Let's go take it down!"

Rika hands the command phone to a nearby solider. "Tell them to move in as soon as that ship's down!"

Henry prays lightly to his cross necklace, and Rika finishes re-loading her gun.

With that finished, the Sargent and his subordinate leave the shelter, and race towards where the Alliance Rail Gun is.

Henry and Rika duck into a bush next to said rail gun. Henry aims his gun at the Alliance solider in command of the rail gun.  
_**  
*BANG!***_

The solider falls, and Henry takes the controls. "Cover me!"

"Got it, sir!" Rika nods, and takes a cover position.

Henry aims the rail gun towards the Alliance DropShip, now charging at his position. "Momentai, would ya?" He smirks and presses the trigger.  
_**  
*RAIL GUN FIRES!!!!!!!***_

The ship seems undamaged as it comes into attack it's own rail gun, except...  
_**  
*BANG!!!***_

The left wing explodes, and the ship starts into a nose dive spin.

Henry smirks, laughing, until he notices that it's coming right at him. "RIKA!" He runs, with his subordinate following his every step.

Seconds later...  
_**  
*KABLAM!!!!***_

...The gunship impacts, and the two officers dive for cover.

As the smoke settles, Henry laughs.

Rika slaps him in the arm.

"What...?" Henry asks, laughing still.

The two re-enter the small base. Henry looks around, finding only a few of the remaining solders alive.

"Tai!" Henry races over towards the goggle wearing boy. "tai? You okay?"

The young boy doesn't reply.

Rika calls up command.

"Tai...?" Henry tries again.

"We're gonna die." The young solider mutters.

"No. No we're not." Henry smiles. "We're just so pretty. Too pretty to die!" He lightly slaps Tai's face, knocking some sense into the boy. "Any minute down, our angels are gonna come and rain down justice on those alliance goons!"

At that moment, the thursters of space ship engines enter the air.

"Hear that? The alliance said they'd march through Serenity Valley! And we choked them on those words!" Henry turns towards Rika. "Rika, Tell Command..."

"They're not comming." She looks up. "Command says it's too hot. They're pulling out."

"Then...?" Henry and Tai stand up to look out the small window. Henry's mouth drops open slightly at the sight.

Alliance cruisers dropping down through Atmo, raining hell down onto the Resistance and their own troops.

A gun shot rings out, barely registered in Henry's mind as Tai falls.

An explosive lands some distance away, and a rush of heat reaches Henry's skin.

**SIX YEARS LATER_ _ _|** **SOMEWHERE IN THE BLACK_ _ _|**

Henry's warm breath falls back on his face as he breaths inside his helmet. "Takeru. Give me the sticky." He orders.

A few feet over, in another space suit is Takeru Takaishi, The hired mercenary of Henry's ship, he kicks forward enough to launch a Soccer ball several miles, yet he only moves forward a few inches towards his boss. He hands him what looks like a caulk gun.

Henry takes it, and drops a steady line around a door handel of the cargo bay of the wrecked ship.

He pushes off, as Rika, to his left, triggers the explosive device.

The hot glue looking substance grows hot as the wire inside it heats up.

Our view pans away, revealing the wrecked cargo liner, and the Firefly class ship hiding in the rubble.

Inside the firefly, named _Serenity_...

"It all looks good here." Takato states. "Yes very good." He continues, as he makes his Stegomon plastic toy talk. "This is a fertile land...and we shall call it...This land!"

He makes his Allomon turn towards the Stegomon, he heightens the pitch of his voice. "I think we should call it Your Grave!"

Back to Stegomon. "Ah! Curse your sudden and inevitable betrayal!"

"RAR AH Ah AH! Mine is an ebil laugh!" And with that the Allomon attacks Stegomon.

"AH! Oh Kami-sama! Oh dear lord and haven!"

A proximity alarm cuts him off. Takato glances at the controls. "Oh..." He lets off a random string of Chinese.

Back at the wreck, the part of the door explodes away in a bout of oxygen.

"hull pressure." Rika sates. "Looks good."

Henry and Takeru pull the door open.

"Goods are good." The now Captain smirks.  
_  
"CAPTAIN!"_comes Takato's voice over the radio. _"Incomming Alliance cruiser!"_

"We're humped." Takeru groans.

"Have they scaned for us?" Henry asks.  
_  
"No. Not yet."_

"Good." He smirks. "Go dark."

Back on the ship...

"ZOE!" Takato yells out through the ship. "We're going dark!"

Back in the engine room of the ship, A blond haired mechanic runs over, and messes with a few panels, before climbing up onto the engine, and pulling a lever, the lights go out. "Now I can't get down..." She sighs.

Farther away from the wreck and the firefly, is the Alliance cruiser.

On board...

"What do we have?" Commander Jp asks the subordinate, Lt. Katelin.

"A cargo carrier." the woman replies. "Lost all hands a few months ago. Didn't matter anyways, skeleton crew."

"Okay." Jp frowns. "Run a scan."

"Why?" Katelin asks.

"Call it a hunch." The commander replies.

Back on _Serenity_...

Takato curses in Chinese. "Captain. We're humped!"

Henry, Rika, and Takeru grab the cargo from the ship. "Hon, we're loading up." Rika states.

On the Alliance cruiser.

"Ah...I'm picking up some residual heat." katelin blinks. "Looks like a Firefly. Do they even still make those?"

"They're lowlife, scavengers, picking off the remains of others less unfortunate." Jp states. "Send out the birds."

Small, intercept type, fighters launch from the bottom of the the alliance cruiser.

"Cry baby cry." The captain states over the radio, as he spots the birds.

"Make your mother sigh!" Takato finishes the rhime as he presses a button.

Far out into the Black, a small barrel labeled "cry baby" and carrying a transponder lights up.

"Sir..." Lt. katelin starts. "I'm picking up a new signal." She pauses as she listens in. "Sounds like a personnel carrier."

The commander raises an eyebrow.

"She's big, and she's without power."  
_  
*cue random western guitar solo*_

In the air lock of _Serenity_, The three crew members of the firefly touch bottom as the room re-pressurizes.

"We're on." Henry states.

The firefly detaches from the hull of the wrecked ship, and lights up fully.

"Let's moon 'em!" Takeru smirks.

The back end of the firefly glows, showing it's clear namesake isn't just for names, and _Serenity _launches through space as fast as possable.

"Sir, they're running." katelin states. "Should we continue deploying?"

"No." Jp sighs. "The bird's never make it back on time. Alright. Let's got help these people." He turns to leave. "Oh. And put up a bullitin on the Cortex. Rogue Firefly with possible stolen goods."

"Yeeesss Siiir!" Katelin answers.

**BACK ON **_**SERENITY**_**_ _ _|**

"Ahha!' Takeru laughs as they re-enter the cargo bay of the ship. "I wish I could've seen the look on their faces!"

Henry ignores this comment as he pries open one of the crates, finding the food stuffs he'd been told that would be there. Henry takes a bar and turns it over, only to slap it back down, same side down.

"What's with the frown?" Rika asks, noting her CO's grim expression.

"Yeah. We won, didn't we?" takeru asks.

"Yeah. We win." Henry closes the crate.  
_  
*cue opening theme*_

Take my love...

Take my land...

Take me where I can't stand.

I don't care, I'm still free,

you can't take the sky from me.

Take me out,

to the black,

tell them I ain't comming back.

Burn the land and boil the sea, you can't take the sky from me.

. . .

_There's no place I can be, since __I found _Serenity.

You can't take the sky from me.

**NEARING PRESEPHONE_ _ _|**

"How are we on fuel?" Henry asks Takato.

"Well...We're doing okay, need to refuel though, or not if we don't get paid. We did get paid, right?" Takato asks.

"Not untill we land." The captain laughs as he goes down to help Takeru and Zoe hide the cargo. "now, make sure we get that well hidden! We don't want anyone trippin' over it."

"We're takin' on passengers?" Takeru asks.

"On Presephone." Henry answers. "We need the coin."

"Shiny! I just love passengers!" Zoe smiles. "They've all got such interesting stories and past experiences!"

"Cap'n, can you make her shut up?" Takeru asks.

"Not a power in the 'verse that can keep Zoe down!" Henry answers in response as he closes the grate in the wall once the last crate is stowed.

"I love my captain!" Zoe gives Henry a kiss on the cheek.

He sighs as he turns back to His subordinate and her husband. "Any word from the ambassador?"

"Just the usual." Takato replies.

"Re-rendezvous at The Eves Down Docks." Rika quotes. "That's all."

Henry sighs. "Well, so-long as someone on this boat makes a honest living!"

_**SERENITY'S **_**SHUTTLE ONE_ _ _|**

Siting on the couch and the chair are the companion and her current client of the day. Having just finished doing all sorts of things I can't describe because of the rating going up if I did.

"So..." The alliance solider, Ken Ichijouji, asks. "Why are you out so far from home?"

Jeri Kato, in her mind, looks away, but answers... "I wanted to see the stars. Visit new worlds."

"Ah..." Ken blushes somewhat. "Would you...Uh...My dad's very influential and...uh..."

A few moments later, Ken leaves the shuttle.

Jeri gets up, tightening her robe around her as she enters the cockpit, blocked off via a large curtain. "_Serenity_, this is shuttle one. What's your ETA?"  
_  
"Ah! Kato-san!"_ comes Takato's voice. _"We're touching down in a few. Meet you there?"_

"Of course." Jeri smiles.  
_  
"We've missed you out here!"_

The companion's smile widens. "I've missed you guys too. Shuttle one, out."  
_  
"Serenity, out."_

With that said, Jeri revs up the engine, and the shuttle lifts off.

**PRESEPHONE_ _ _| EVES DOWN DOCKS_ _ _|**

_Serenity_ cuts through the Atmosphere like an experienced bird, landing gracefully at the registered docking port.

The ramp lowers, and the crew exits, Henry, Rika, and Takeru grouping off to go towards their meet.

"Zoe." Henry orders. "Stay here and refuel, get some passengers, and then prep her for take off." He turns to Takato. "You, go and get the supplies we need."

"Ay ay sir!" Takato bows ungracefully, but retaining his ballence.

Rika looks at him and smiles. _"Be careful."_she says in chinese.  
_  
"You too!" _Takato replies, with a smile of his own.

"I will." Rika smiles again.

"Anyways." Henry cuts them off. "Let's get to Kazu's. You know how he gets when we're late!"

"Yeah." takeru rolls his eyes. "We don't get paid."

And with that, they leave, Takato races into the ship, then drives out with the MULE, to gather supplies.

Zoe smiles as she glances up the nose of _Serenity_. "Jus' you an' me, Girl. Jus' you an' me."

The ship seems to nod in agreeance.

**ELSEWHERE_ _ _|**

Shepperd Iori Hida, or Cody as he prefers to go by, walks around the docks, pulling his same height luggage behind him towards no seeming destination.

"Yo! Kid!" Comes an annoying voice.

The Shepperd tilts his head as a fourteen year old boy towers over him by some degree.

"Come with us! Our ship's the best! No mater where in the 'verse you need to go! We'll take you there! The _RizeGreymon! _We're clean! We're cheap! So, where 'ya goin' kid?" The pilot, Marcus Damon, asks, energetically while pointing towards a large transport vessel.

"I'm not a kid." cody states as he continues to walk off. It was a genetic experiment gone wrong with some potatoes when he was nine. All ageing halted. And all he had wanted were potatoes for his family, some disaster in the growth process in the one potato he had eaten. Yes, that was all some eighty years ago, and he still looked and felt like he was nine, could remember it all too, better than his own brother currently could.

**AT THE BACK OF A BAR CALLED "KAZU'S"_ _ _|**

Henry, Takeru, and Rika walk into Kazu's back room, where he deals with his business transactions.

The visor wearing teen was currently checking the teeth of a small, six year old, girl, brown hair, big pink eyes, three small bumps on her forhead in a triangle pattern, and, oddly enough, long rabbit like ears, same color as her hair. Henry sighs, another Alliance genetic experiment gone wrong.

The girl tries to bite Kazu's finger.

"hey!" he exclaims in a slightly British accent. "You little brat!"

She sticks out her tongue. "You wike my keeth so vewwy vewwy much."

Rika coughs. "How... adorable?"

Kazu turns, smiles, and gestures for the guards to put the girl from wherever she came from (the guards open a door, revealing a small blond haired boy with green rabbit ears and only one bump on his head like the girl, before pushing the rabbit girl in, and closing the door). "Ah! Captain Wrong and his renegade crew!"

"It's Wong." henry corrects. "But does it matter? What's one letter between friends?"

"Yeah...well...You're late." Kazu's smile turns to a frown.

"Really, now?" Henry looks around the room, his gaze catching a poster with a woman with angel wings having her back to them halfway torn away via something akin to a tornado, possibally the small bunny girl from a few minutes ago, before spotting the clock. "You know we're much earlier than we planned."

"Well." Kazu sits at his desk and starts to peel an apple. "You're later than I'd like." He finishes pealing and takes a bit before tossing a cortex bulletin to Takeru. "Firefly class transport performing illegal salvage on a Derelict Transport." Kazu recites from memory. "Not only were you spotted, and marked, but the ship happened to be alliance. Meaning that every molecule of that cargo is marked." Henry grimaces. "Noticed that, did you?"

Henry shakes his head. "You're not going to pay us?"

Kazu feigns thinking for a moment. "Nope."

Takeru pulls his gun, with the name 'Emma' etched on the side, and aims it at Kazu's head.

Suddenly, guns from all of Kazu's guards are drawn.

"Put the gun away." The captain orders.

"He's not payin' us, Henry!" Takeru growls.

"Well, we're not gettin' paid at all if you get us all shot." Rika exclaims.

"Grrr..." takeru sighs before putting his gun away. "Fine."

"Now then. I suggest you take your business elsewhere." kazu smirks. "I've got rabbits to breed." At the glare from Rika that'd make a grown alliance solider wet his pants, he corrects with a gulp. "Er...Feed. Yes! I have rabbits I have got to feed! That's it exactly!"

"Let's go." Henry turns to leave.

**OUTSIDE **_**SERENITY**_**_ _ _|**

Cody walks by, glancing up at the firefly class ship. He pauses.

"You're gonna come with us." Zoe states from her seat in her lawn chair in the airlock.

"Excuse me?" Cody looks up.

"You're not lookin' at the destinations." Zoe smiles, siting up. "Just the ships. Say..." She continues before he can get a word in otherwise. "Have you ever been on a firefly before?"

"Once." Cody replies. "It didn't have the stabilizers though." he pointed to said thrusters. "It tended to shake."

"Ah." Zoe nods. "So...where ya commin' from?"

"That's a long story." Cody comes closer to the docking ramp. "During the first migration, I ate a mutated potato. Froze my age at nine forever."

Zoe blinks. "Then you're...?"

"Shepperd Iori Hida. You can call me Cody though." He holds out a hand to shake.

"Wow...Never met a Shepperd before." Zoe smiles, agreeing to the hand shake. "I'm Zoe. The mechanic for _Serenity _here!"

"And I've never met a mechanic so young before." Cody replies with a smile in return. "Anyways. I'm coming from the local Abby, I decided to take a little tour around the 'verse, spread the word of God to those who need it."

"What've ya got there?" Zoe asks. "Not to sound greedy, but we haven't had the best of luck money wise and..."

The Shepperd nods. "I understand. In these hard times, who doesn't need some cash every now and then?" He sighs. "I'm afraid I don't have any money though. All of what I have with me is mostly clothes and food from my garden." He grabs a small box from somewhere at the top, and hands it to the mechanic. "I do, however, have these."

Zoe opens the box, and whistles. "Woah...Kid..."

"I'm not a kid." Cody lets the comment pass, as the shock of the items inside the box do deserve some credit for forgetting something such as age.

**ON THE WAY BACK TO **_**SERENITY_ _ _|**_

"Why didn't you let me get our money?" takeru asks.

"Kazu wouldn't have given it to us even in death." Henry replies. "And besides, his goons would've killed us on the spot."

"I didn't sign on for a sight seeing tour of the 'verse ya know!" Takeru answers, annoyed. "I get a good fair portion of the haul, and know what part of nothin' is? Let me do the math!" He counts off. "A nothin'. Nothing. Carry the nothin'."

"I know why you signed on Takeru." Henry states. "And we're gettin' paid!"

"By who sir?" Rika asks.

"I'm thinkin' Mimi." Henry answers.

"Didn't she shoot you?" Takeru asks.

"Ah! It's all in the past! You know that!" Henry shrugs. "'Sides, she owns...what?...Half of that moon now?"

"Last I heard." Rika nods.

"Then, all formalitys aside, Mimi's our only choice!" Henry explains.

"Your grave." Takeru grumbles.

**BACK AT THE SHIP_ _ _|**

The threesome soon arrive back at the ship, surprised at the fair amount of passengers.

Okay...So it's just three people, a fancy dressed up boy about the age of Zoe, a small boy no older than nine (or so it seems) and a random passerby.

Takato brings up a large silver box into the ship on the ramp.

"Careful with that!" The fancy boy states at the crate's josseling on going over the ramp.

"Ah! Cap'n!" Zoe smiles. "This here's Takuya Kanbara! He's a doctor!"

The doctor frowns upon spoting him. "You're a captain?"

"Got a problem with that?" Henry asks.

"no. I was just expecting someone a bit shorter." Takuya shrugs and enters the ship.

"Anyways..." Zoe blushes somewhat, before turning to Cody. "Despite his looks, Cody here's a Shepperd!"

"Iori Hida." Cody bows. "Call me Cody, though."

"Shepperd, huh?" Rika shakes her head as she enters the ship.

"Nice to meet ya." Henry smiles, noting the incoming Shuttle from the north. "Ah, and there's the Ambassador!"

"Royalty?" Cody blinks.

"Registered Companion." takeru fills in, cutting by.

"Ah." Cody nods.

"Well then..." Henry turns towards the random passerby. "I'm..."

"Captain Wong." The blue haired man replies. "Pleasure to meet you! I'm Kouji Minamoto." he holds out his hand in greeting.

The captain shakes it. "Nah, I'm just doing my job."  
**  
IN THE DINING ROOM_ _ _| A FEW MINUTES LATER_ _ _|**

Zoe spreads out the small grouping of ingredients that the small Shepherd had collected, opening up the box he had used as payment first, and sneaking one of the small items inside out into her sight.  
**  
**It was a Strawberry. Big. Bright. Red. And oh-so delicious looking.

She takes a bite slowly, and her eyes roll back into her head in delight.

**BACK TO THE BAY_ _ _|**

The passengers finish tieing up their cargo.

"Make sure you have what you need." Henry comments. "Only crew are allowed in the bay once we take off. Don't want anybody being sucked out into the black now, do we?"

Takeru laughs. "Yeah, what a shame that'd be."

Kouji stares at him.

Takuya laughs. "Don't worry about me. Last time I was on a transport like this, a _Riven_class, my traveling compainon went down to the bay without suppervision. We lost all our food, and had to make an emergency landing."

Henry laughs. "Well, dinner's in a few hours! Don't be late!"

**IN THE DINING HALL AT DINNER TIME_ _ _|**

The crew and it's passengers eat their dinner. All of them listen to Takuya's story.

"Seriously! Ah...The kid was just way too fidgety! No matter what me or his mom said to calm him down, he still insisted 'but Timmy says dat doctors steal kids souls and sell them to the easter bunny so he can make toys for Santa!' It was..." Takuya finds himself having a hard time from not laughing. "...It was the silliest thing I'd ever heard!"

Takato, sitting next to Rika, can't help but smile as he ponders. "And I wonder what Timmy's mom said to him when she heard what that kid's mom said her son had heard from her son?"

Scilence for a few moments, before everyone breaks out in laughter again.

"So...Got any funny stories from yer shepherdin' days, Preach?" Zoe asks the Shepperd.

"Ah. Many." Cody thinks back. "But, most are rather...Un-becoming of my profession."

"Is that so now?" Henry asks innocently. "I thought that things like that didn't happen."

Jeri shrugs. "Now, Henry. You should know better by now. Looks can be deceiving."

Henry stares at her. "You would know all about that wouldn't you."

"Ah..." takeru coughs, fake-ly. "Get a room you two."

Rika glances at the hired gun. "Takeru, I think you should leave now before you end up in the infirmary with the nice Doc here sowing up your..."

"Hey! It's not against the gorram law to speak my mind, ya know!" Takeru cuts her off.

"Listen to the red head for once, would ya?" Henry asks, growling. "And I don't pay you to talk pretty, now. Nor..."

"Fine. I'm leavin'!" Takeru grabs his plate off the table, and spoons a nice even helping of everything onto it, before leaving. "No need to get your tongue all tied up tryin' to talk yourself out of the truth!"

Takuya blinks. "Huh..."

"What?" Rika asks.

"I was just wondering what you do pay him for." Takuya replies in the direction of the captain.

Without missing a beat, Henry replies "Public relations." before taking a bite out of his still warm dinner roll.

**SOME TIME LATER_ _ _| BRIDGE_ _ _|**

Henry walks up onto the bridge, seemingly mad at something. "Has Mimi waved us yet?"

Takato looks up. "Ah...No. Not yet."

Henry growls. "Well, let me know when she does."

"Didn't she shoot you once?" Takato asks.

"Is everyone going to bring that up!?"

Before the pilot can reply, a buzzer sounds off.

Henry and Takato race over to the wave alert panel on the opposite side of the cockpit.

Takato lets out curse of Chinese as he presses a few buttons. "not good."

"What's not good?" Henry asks, concern overcoming his face.

"Someone just sent out a wave to the nearest Alliance Cruiser." Takato pales.

"Tell me you scrambled it!" Henry also deadpans.

"Yeah, I did." The pilot readjusts the goggles on his forehead. "But I don't know how much got out. They could just know our position, or..." He sighs. "Wong, we've got a mole on board."

"And I think I know who." Henry growls as he races down to the...

**...CARGO BAY_ _ _|**

Takuya stands up from checking the lit up blue display on the side of his mysterious grey canister, as he turns around....

"Hi." _***SMACK!!!***_

...The captain smashes his fist into the Doctor's face.

"WHA?! Are you demented?!" the doctor asks as he recoils.

"How much did you tell them before Takato scrambled your call?" Henry asks.

"Huh?!" Takuya truly seems surprised.

"You're a gorram Fed!" Henry accuses.

"No...What?!" takuya seems even more shocked.

"Sorry to say." Comes a third voice. "But I'm afraid you've got the wrong man."

Henry and Takuya turn to see Cody, standing by the airlock doors, glaring at the bulkheads above them.

"Buh?" Henry turns around again, to see...

"Hand's where I can see them." Kouji holding a gun, a sterling silver Alliance Issue McKadish revolver. "Drop the gun, Captain."

"Okay now..." Henry undos his holster, and puts it to the ground. "No need to be jumpy now, I'm sure we can all sort this out in the..."

"Takuya Kanbara. You're under arrest." Kouji growls out.

The doctor sighs.

"Wha?" Henry blinks, relaxing. "The doc? Well now...Is there a reward?"

Kouji spins towards Henry. "Hey! I can bring you up on charges on aiding and transporting a criminal! Have this junk heap towed in too, for all the warrants on them!"

"Now, son, This is nearing madness." Cody starts.

Kouji whirls. "You don't think I'd shoot a Shepperd?!"

"Now, come on! That's just low!" The Captain states.

Kouji whirls towards him.

"Look, can't we just talk this out?" Cody asks.

Kouji whirls again.

"Hey, what's going---_***BANG!!!***_---Ahahhhh...." Zoe entered the bay, and Kouji shot her, in the stomach.

The next few seconds go by in slow-motion for the Firefly's inhabitants, as Jeri, Rika, and Takeru, right behind the mechanic, race to help the girl. Cody, somehow, springs into action and disarms Kouji, while the Captain and the Doctor go to check on the Mechanic as well.

"ZOE!" Henry shouts.

Takeru leaves his position by the injured mechanic, and goes to tie up the Fed, with Rika right behind him.

"Let's get her to the infirmary!" takuya orders after viewing the shot, the bullet hadn't gone clean through. "Zoe? Zoe? Can you move your feet?"

"Are you asking me to dance?" Zoe asks, woozily.

"She's going into shock." Henry states.  
_  
"Cap'n!"_ Takato's voice echos over the intercom. _"Incoming alliance cruiser. Asking for us to hold course and prepare for boarding."_

"Run." Takuya backs away from Zoe. "We have to run."

"What?" Henry grimaces.

"Run. Or I won't help her!" Takuya states.

"You wouldn't dare." Henry frowns.

"I would."

"Why's everyon' so ang'y for?" zoe asks.

"Do you know what a stomach wound does to a person?" Takuya asks.

"I surely do." Henry frowns.

"Then you know how critical the next few minutes are." Takuya states.

As if on cue, Zoe lets out a strangeled cry of pain. "Wong!" Jeri pleads.

"Rika. We run." Henry states, near whisper quality.

"Goggles! We're running!" Rika orders over the intercom, seconds later, the ship jolts as it launches forward through the black.

**SEVERAL HOURS LATER_ _ _| **

"She's stable." Takuya states as he emerges from the operation. "But, the next few hours will tell if she'll make it or not."

"Good then." henry smirks as he races towards takuya's box.

"Wait...NO!" The Doctor follows him towards it, only to be restrained by Takeru and Takato.

Henry pulls the box out, and un-do-s the latches, the lid pops up. "Let's see what that fed's willing to kill for!"

"WAIT!"

With a mighty kick, the lid flies into the wall, and smoke escapes from the grey canister.

Jeri walks forward a fearfull step.

Rika grimaces before cocking her shotgun.

Takuya's jaw hangs open in shock at the captain's rash behavior.

Cody tilts his head oddly at the sight....

As the smoke clears, the distinct form of a young girl, no younger than a year or two behind the doctor, with a long blue dragon tail, similar matching ears, a row of short blue spikes down her spine, shoulder length brown hair, several odd markings tattooed allover her skin, oh, and the final detail as to why several of those things were visible, she wore no clothes.

...And all the captain can say is...

_"Huh..."_

**TO BE CONTINUED TO PART TWO_ _ _|**


	3. Serenity p2

**STANDARD DISCLAIMER! BE WARNED OF SOME MILD LANGUAGE AND WHAT NOT! (so what? It's Firefly!) **

**Alt. 'Verse three: **_**Serenity P2. . .**_

DTC: Broken Noses are fun, especially when they happen to bad people.

_**SERENITY**_** Cargo bay_ _ _|**

"She's stable." Takuya states as he emerges from the operation. "But, the next few hours will tell if she'll make it or not."

"Good then." henry smirks as he races towards takuya's box.

"Wait...NO!" The Doctor follows him towards it, only to be restrained by Takeru and Takato.

Henry pulls the box out, and undoes the latches, the lid pops up. "Let's see what that fed's willing to kill for!"

"WAIT!"

With a mighty kick, the lid flys into the wall, and smoke escapes from the grey canister.

Jeri walks forward a fearfull step.

Takato frowns and loosens his grip slightly.

Takeru smirks and laughs lightly.

Rika grimaces before cocking her shotgun.

Takuya's jaw hangs open in shock at the captain's rash behavior.

Cody tilts his head oddly at the sight....

As the smoke clears, the distinct form of a young girl, no younger than a year or two behind the doctor, with a long blue dragon tail, similar matching ears, a row of short blue spikes down her spine, shoulder length brown hair, several odd markings tattooed allover her skin, oh, and the final detail as to why several of those things were visible, she wore no clothes.

...And all the captain can say is...

_"Huh..."_

Henry stares dumbfounded. "_I open a gorram box, and there's a girl inside! _What in Dragomon's ocean is this?!"

"It's just a girl in a box!" Takeru laughs. _"Just a gorram girl in a box!"_

"_One of the alliances creations._ No wonder why that fed wanted you in jail." Rika comments.

"Let me go!" Takuya growls. "I have to check her vitals!"

"Is that what they're calling it these days?" Henry asks, glancing at the Doctor.

"She's not supposed to wake up for another week!" Takuya exclaims. "The shock---!"

"Of waking up?" Jeri cuts him off. "Finding she'd been sold to some backwater planet's warlord in some sort of payment or as a substitute for a...a...?!" words escape the companion.

"Or was this one meant for you?" Henry can't help but add on to her rant, a smirk plastered onto his face.

Suddenly, the girl in the case bolts up, gasping in a deep breath of air, the temperate zone climate of the ship's atmosphere quickly evaporating the hibernation frost into liquid. Henry takes a few steps back as she climbs out of the Cryo-Freeze Cart, and onto the metal grating floor of _Serenity_, the girl glances about, panicked, and whimpering ever so slightly at the vertigo one feels when waking up in a strange environment.

Takuya breaks free of Takato and Takeru's grip, rushes over to the dragon hybrid, and attempts to calm her down. "Kari! Kari! Calm down! It's me! Takuya!"

"T-Takuya?" The now identified "Kari" calms down somewhat in recognision. "Takuya they-they...they want us to do things-they want us to...they hurt us andandand..."

"Shhhh!" The doctor gives the Alliance hybrid a hug. "they're not going to hurt you. Not anymore."

Henry finally breaks the silence that overcame the ship's crew. "What is this?"

"THIS." Takuya states. "Is my sister."

_*cue theme and credits*_  
_  
Take my love. Take my land..._

_Take me where I can't stand._

_I don't care, I'm still free, _

_you can't take the sky from me._

_Take me out, _

_to the black, _

_tell them I ain't comin' back. _

_Burn the land and boil the sea, you can't take the sky from me._

_. . ._

_There's no place I can be, since I found _Serenity.

_You can't take the sky from me._

**LATER_ _ _| IN THE DINING ROOM_ _ _|**

"My sister is smart." takuya explains. "Now, when I say this, let me tell you I mean it in the _fullest_ terms."

Takato leans forward in interest.  
_  
Takuya leads Kari to the infirmary, Jeri's robe wrapped around her to keep the cold out._

"I'm gifted in the medical arts. I was the top of my class. Head Doctor at my clinic. I could do things with a needle and thread alone that saved several lives!" Takuya continues. "And when I say that my sister is smart, I mean that she makes me look like a complete doof, and I mean it."

Cody blinks.  
_  
Kari tries to run at the sight of Zoe on the operation table._

"Nothing she did came as easily to her as breathing comes to you and I. As easily as a Gun puts bullets into a target! As easily as this ship soars through space like a bird!" The Doctor continues.

Rika tilts her head.  
_  
Takuya gives his sister an injection to fight off the possible hibernation sickness, she sticks her toung out in return._

"Our parents are rich, filthy rich compared to some of the more wealth members of the Alliance council. We could have whatever we wanted." He frowns, getting to the real story. "There was this new school, the Academy. We could have sent Kari anywhere, but, she wanted a challenge."

Takeru leans forward, now lisening to the story.  
_  
Takuya gently brushes his hand across Kari's hair, in a soothing motion. Kari never tears her eyes from the unconscious form of Zoe._

"She wrote, often, then, nothing. For months. Then they came again. Only...The letters were chaotic. Jokes that never were told. Visits to the carnival that never happened. It was a code." Takuya sighs. "It was simple: 'They're hurting us. Get me out.'"

Jeri gasps.  
_  
Takuya sighs as he watches over his two sleeping charges. His sister, and the ship's mechanic._

"I tried for...years it seems like. I couldn't touch her. Take her out for spring break. Not even to visit during Christmas." Takuya frowns. "Then I was contacted by a rogue group. They said that the Alliance were doing things. Continuing their Genetic Manipulation Experiments from back during the teraforming era. And that they had been doing so for...well...They said that the alliance never stopped doing it."

Nearly breaking a glass, Henry clenches his fists.  
_  
Takuya heads towards the dining hall, to tell his story, un-noticing his Sister's barely audible chant starting. "two by two..."_

"This group said that if I funded them, they could get her out, in cryo stasis, and take her where ever I wanted." Takuya smiles. "I gave them all the money I had, savings, paychecks, whatever I had on hand. And, It worked. It got the Alliance on my tail, but I got her out of there."

Takeru frowns. "That's some tale, doc."

"One mighty big one too." Henry states. "How do we know it's true?"

"Would I LIE?" Takuya asks. "I have my sister's life on the line, if the Alliance gets their greedy little hands on her, they'll send her back to that Gorram place, and throw me into jail!"

"As much as I appreciate you tellin' us this, you've still unloaded a heap of trouble on me and mine." henry states. "I figure it this way, if Zoe pulls through, we drop you two off at Whitefall, if she doesn't..."

"You'll be getin' off a mite sooner." Takeru finishes.

Cody stands up. "That's murder! I will not stand by while there is murder on this ship!"

"Wong, you can't!" Jeri cries out. "They won't last a day on Whitefall!"

"Why can't we all just be friends?!" Takato asks.

Rika sighs.

"There will me no talk of murder on my ship!" Henry states.

"I don't see why it's not a fair deal." takuya says.

"See, doc boy agrees with me!" Takeru shouts.

"Baka." Rika grabs her shotgun, and fires a shot off into the table at such an angle, the bullets embed themselves into the wood without so-much as a splinter.

Quiet fills the ship.

**PASSENGER ROOM TURNED INTERROGATION ROOM_ _ _| A FEW MINUTES LATER_ _ _|**

_*cue random lullaby*_

Kouji drifts sluggishly through his subconscious. Several cute bunny rabbits hop about in the black void of his mind. An image of a gun a floats by with someone saying _"wakey wakey, eggs and toastey!"_ in a childish tone. Wait a minute...That wasn't some years past battle! That was...!  
_**  
*SMASH!!! CRACK!!!***_

Kouji is knocked awake by one of Takeru's many guns' tail ends smashing his nose in.

"YEEEAAHHHCC!!!" Kouji roars in pain.  
_  
*end theme*_

"I told you to wake up." takeru smiles as he places the gun outside the room.

"Wha...?" Kouji asks, having a higher pitched voice due to his nose being broken.

"See now, Our Captain wants to know what you sent off to the Alliance before our pilot scrambled your call." Takeru smirks. "And he wasn't non-explicit as to the how."

"You don't know what you're messing with!" Kouji tries to say, it comes out as "Bu donk toe hat hur messin' fith!" instead.

Takeru laughs.

"Vhat?" Kouji asks.

"I..." Takeru barely manages to struggle out in-between laughs. "I'm sorry! But that's just the funniest thing I've heard in years!"

"Hits yor on hault!" Kouji growls. What he meant to say was: "it's your own fault."

Takeru manages to put his laughter under control as he pulls a small dagger out from his left boot. "Okay now...What did you tell the gorram feds?"

"Ku yu kow vats in tat boks?" Kouji asks. "S'methin' berry ibborta..."

"It's a girl." Takeru smiles as he waves the blade's edge around his head in a "crazy" motion. "She's pretty, not all there though. 'Course, not all of 'er has to be!" He laughs again.

Kouji just stares at the mercenary like he's kazy...er...crazy. "Pour kad!" Pardon...He meant to say: "Your mad."

Takeru laughs more.

The captain enters, bringing Takeru's laughter to an end. "Anything?"

"Uhh...Nah cap'n! Jus' a bunch o' nonsense!" takeru pokes the knife's point lightly into Kouji's leg.

"Bow! Ku takm jastem!" The fed shouts.

Henry raises an eyebrow. "Say what now?"

"Te pok eye pose!" Kouji states. "kith a pun!"

"You took his poise and grace with a Joke?" The captain asks, breaking out in laughter.

"Po!!!" Kouji nearly breaks out into hysteria. "Ke kooke ty tose tikh niz fun!"

"A guy name 'Po' did it then?" Takeru asks, laughing.

Kouji sighs. "Pie miv op."

"I'll see if I can find some Miv Op pie for ya!" Henry turns to leave. "Just don't swallow the nose of it, the centers always ends up overcooked!" He then whispers to Takeru. "Don't hurt him. Just get the info we need."

"Pain is scarry." Takeru comments.

Kouji growls. "Mie pe?"

"You want your mommy?" Takeru asks, before falling to the floor in laughter.

"Pool Nay Kor Dis." Kouji frowns.

**SEVERAL HOURS LATER_ _ _| DEEP IN THE BLACK ON THE WAY TO WHITEFALL_ _ _|**

The small Firefly flys through space, a small speck of metal compared to the monstrosity about to cross their path...

On the bridge...

Takato snaps to attention as the proximity alarm sounds off. He gives of a bout of Chinese words, and raises up the intercom. "Henry, we've got trouble!"

Seconds later, the captain emerges from his room, and appears on the bridge. "What've we got?"

"Proximity alert." The pilot explains as he looks over the data on the readout.

"Don't tell me the Gorram feds tailed us?!" Henry grows panicked.

"It's too small to be alliance, and it's not giving off an INF tag either." Takato starts. "Oh...Bloody..." he curses. "It's not running core containment!"

Henry freezes, and says, in a barely audible whisper...

Back in the Black, a giant Shadow appears over the nearest star. It appears to be an older class Trans-U, only...different.

Red paint runs along the surface, spears and battering rams and grappling hooks, of all varieties, have been added into the hull of the ship, anywhere where the hull couldn't be breached. Even the monsters inside need air too. A nice ribbon of skeletons lays draped across any part of the ship, and it's three back thrusters are pummeling out tons of smoke, an unusual sight to be sure in space, but yet a sign of no core containment being ran. These clues leave no doubt who they are...  
_  
"Reavers..."_

Over all of _Serenity_, the captain's voice calls out over the intercom. _"Everyone, we've got Reavers, on an intercept course."_

Takeru, sitting in his bunk, loads up his guns.  
_  
"It could be, that they're on their way somewhere special, and won't bother with our little ship."_

Takuya hugs his sister tightly.  
_  
"It could be, that they've just had their fill, and aren't lookin' for a fight."_

Cody prays at the table.  
_  
"It could be any number of things, but, just to be sure..."_

Jeri takes a small case from her belongings in her shuttle, and opens it, revealing a shinny green liquid filled needle.  
_  
"...*swallow*...Just to be sure, I want everyone ready to run at a moments notice. Rika. I want you up on the bridge. Takeru, make sure everyone else can get away safely. And...Everyone...Let's keep our glasses half full here."_

Rika passes by the infirmary on her way to the bridge.

"Ah!" Takuya catches her by the arm before she gets to the stairs. "What are Reavers?"

"You haven't heard of reavers?" The redhead asks.

"Ghost tales, Men gone mad at the edge of space." Takuya shrugs.

"Let me tell you something, they aren't a 'Ghost story' from Earth-That-Was, they're real." Rika states.

"What do they do exactly?" Takuya asks.

"They hunt you down, rape you to death, sow your flesh into their clothes, eat the meat off of your bones, string your corpse on their ships, and if you're very, _very _lucky, they'll do it in that order." Rika states before ascending to the second level of the ship, leaving a verry stunned Takuya.

If this tremendous moment wasn't happening in space, the silence that adds to the tension that comes as the two ships pass each other would be over run by the deafening roar of the TransU's three thrusters.

In the Infirmary, Takeru unlocks the clamps holding the med table that Zoe's laying on from the floor, allowing it to be moved on it's own two wheels. He doesn't say anything. But the grim look on his face says it all. "Don't wait for me. Just run."

Takuya nods silently as he pats his sister on the head calmingly. Her dragon mutations twitch momentarily. _"what did they do to her? What could posess them to be so...babaric?"_

On the bridge, The Pilot, the Captain, and the First mate stand silently as the larger ship's shadow over comes the small firefly.

A large magnetic grappling hook cannon is then noticed attached to the bottom. "Look!' Takato points out. "If we get caught in that..."

Henry waves it off. "Just let me know if they change course."

Takato glances at the course direction screen as the TransU leaves a trail of smoke behind it.

Rika tightly grips her husband's shoulder.

Henry swares his Life flashes before his eyes as the sun is finally revealed behind the smoke trail.

The room is quiet for a few more moments before the proximity alert silences.

"Looks like they weren't hungry." Takato comments.

Henry sighs in relief.

**PRISONER'S ROOM_ _ _| HALF AN HOUR LATER_ _ _|**

"I'b beekared ku cake ku ban booster." Kouji states.

Takeru raises an eyebrow while stiffleing a chuckle. "What kind of an offer?"

"Bat Curl kiss Kurth Koor Nan Bis Bib, Kice kits tate kin koold." Kouji states. "Ket Ke Ko. Kad Bai ban taste kuu Mich!"

"Would doing this have me betray the Cap'n?" Takeru asks.

"Hai." Kouji nods.

Takeru smiles. "Well, now. That's a mite interestin'."

_**"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"**_

Kouji's left leg now has a knife sticking out of it.

**THE BRIDGE_ _ _| ABOUT THREE HOURS FROM WHITEFALL_ _ _|**

"Wong!" takato calls over the intercom. "We're being waved."

_"Coming..."_

A few moments later, Henry comes up onto the bridge. "Mimi?"

He nods. "We're within video range...Ah..Didn't she shoot you once?"

"Didn't you already ask that?" Henry asks as he sits down at the pilot's chair and pressing the "receive" button.

_"Well, well. If it isn't my favorite little captain."_ The girl's pink cowboy hat appears on screen, tilted as to obscure her face. _"Did I shoot you once?"_

Henry sighs. "Is everyone going to ask me that!? Besides! It's all in the past now!" He Frowns.

_"Same old Wong."_ Mimi laughs. _"Now then, what did I do to you that receives this level of generosity?"_

"It's just as the Wave says. Three crates full of protein mash salvaged off of a freighter." Henry states. "all at the price stated. All's good."

_"That's the problem, Henry."_Mimi glances up to him, revealing her face, with a long red scar cutting across her left cheek. _"It's too good."_

Henry closes his eyes. "It's marked. Alliance goods. Hence the discount."

_"Ah. Stealing from the Feds, Eh Wong?"_ Mimi laughs. _"I accept your offer. I'm sending coordinates for a meet up."_ with that the screen cuts black, except for a single line of coordinates, Latitude, longitude, and Depth.

Henry smiles.

"we've got a Bite?" Takato asks.

"We've got a Bite."

**INFIRMARY_ _ _| ABOUT AN HOUR LATER_ _ _|**

Henry watches Zoe as she sleeps. _"Gorram Fed."_ he mutters.

"mmf..?" Zoe grimaces as she comes to. "Cap'n?"

"Yes?" Henry walks over.

"She's reall' pretty..." Zoe gestures with her head towards Kari.

"Don't get attached." Henry comments.

"You wouldn't..." Zoe rolls her eyes. "You're too nice."

"I am not." Henry replies seriously. "I'm a mean old man."

"Nah..You're reaaly nice...and all..." Zoe closes her eyes.

"Zoe?" Henry blinks.

**JERI'S SHUTTLE_ _ _|**

"These are some standard companion immunization packets." Jeri hands Takuya a small silver package. "The medical supplies on Whitefall are rudimentary at best."

"Now, you don't be needing to give those away." Henry states as he enters the shuttle.

"What have I told you about entering my shuttle?" jeri asks.

"Now, it's my understanding that it's my shuttle. You only rent it." Henry comments. "And as it is, I'm just leaving." He pauses in the door frame. "Just thought you'd like to know that Zoe's dead."

As Takuya gasps and races out of the shuttle, Jeri can't help but to shake her head at Henry's smile.

The trained medic races down the stairs into the Cargo bay, and then down into the infirmary.

He blinks as he sees Zoe perfectly fine and a'okay, talking up a storm with Cody.

"That man's psycotic!" Takuya comments.

**BRIDGE_ _ _|**

Everyone laughs.

"You are psycotic!" Rika comments.

"And Zoe's okay?" Takato asks.

"Just peachy." Henry nods. "A bit loopy on the drugs. But otherwise fine." He laughs. "You should've seen the look on his face though! It was just...'No! I'm gonna get spaced!' and yet 'No! she can't be dead!' all at the same time!"

They all start laughing again.

**WHITEFALL_ _ _| SOME TIME LATER_ _ _|**

The Firefly gracefully enters the atmo of Whitefall, Engines burning at full speed.

It swooshes this way and that, easily avoiding any clouds.

Takato, in his chair, smiles as he performs a barrel roll. Several, actually.

With a gentle push forward with the steering guides, _Serenity_ rockets forward, towards a spot near the the meet 'n' greet.

_Serenity_ nears the ground, and rotates as such that the sun, as it sets, faces over the right hand side of the Firefly class. The side engines aim towards the ground as the landing gear lowers down, then, once the ship touches down gently, shut down and fold into a resting position.

Much Like a bird, _Serenity_ gazes around for any future threat and then settles down into a calmer mode once the area is secure.

**KOUJI'S ROOM_ _ _|**

Having pulled out the knife in his leg with his teeth alone, Kouji manages to slip it into his hands, and starts to cut away his bonds. "Kab Te tin teh Peg Kill mou? Ba! K'm Tsnot bone met!"

**DROP POINT_ _ _|**

Henry glances about the valley where the meet will go down as Takeru runs up.

"It's done." He states and hands a bar of the food stuff to Henry. "I buried it right under that tree, just like you asked."

"Well then, here's how it'll go down." Henry points to a spot down in the valley. "We'll go down, and she'll come out from the east." He then points to a spot further down. "She'll talk the location out of us, and then snipers will take us out from there..." He points to a spot on the side of the valley. "And there." Then to a spot next to it.

"Think they're already in place, sir?" Rika asks.

"Should be." Henry nods.

"Cap'n? Can you read?" Takeru asks as he puts in a microphone/Loudspeaker in his ear.

"I'm standing right next to you for cryin' out loud!!" Henry shouts as he gets double feed back through his own mic/speaker. "Of course I can hear you!"

"You're commin in loud and clear cap'n...Ow..." Takeru holds his hand to his ear where his own mic/speaker created feedback.

Rika rolls her eyes. "Are the snipers in place yet, you think?"

"Should be." Henry states. "That's Takeru's job."

"Me?" Takeru looks up.

"Yes. You." Henry nods.

Takeru smiles. "Well well, I finally get some action after being cooped up for a week."

**ON SERENITY_ _ _|**

Cody approaches the prisoner's room. He knocks on the door lightly. "Sir! I think you're in more danger than...!"

Kouji suddenly throws the door open and throws his good leg into the Shepperd's gut before smalling a CO2 canister into his head.

"Kot na kepan!" Kouji growls and slams the CO2 canister into the man looking like a boy yet again.

**AT THE MEET_ _ _|**

Henry glances to his non-existent watch as Mimi and her poesy ride over. "A lot of men for just three crates."

"Security." Mimi rolls her eyes towards the man to her right. "Stuff I don't need, but TwoFry here feels I do. He's my best shot, and he doesn't like me going out alone."

Henry laughs. "Ah, don't feel bad! It's just a friendly meet, greet, and pay day for all of us!"

Rika coughs.

"Rika?" mimi gasps. "Is that you? Are you still flying around with this old war buff?"

She rolls her eyes. "What else is there?"

**AT THE SECOND SNIPER SITE_ _ _|**

The sniper focuses down onto Mal's head.

Suddenly, his leg is grabbed from behind and pulled is pulled behind a rock.

Some punches later, and Takeru walks into view, settling down into view of the meet. "You're not supposed to cry! You're bro across the way sure didn't!" he mutters.

**IN THE INFIRMARY_ _ _|**

Kari's eyes snap open. "They're coming."

"Huh?" Zoe glances over to the hybrid dragon. "What's 'rong?"

Kari gets up from her seat on the counter, and walks over to the door. "They're coming..Storm's coming...Not good...Evil...Bad...Mal...In the Latin."

Suddenly, Kouji jumps from behind the door frame, grabs kari, and aims a gun to her head. "Aww... Mooks bho's tall toke kup!"

Zoe stiffins. "I-I-I...!"

Kouji pulls out a second gun, and aims it at the blond haired mechanic. "Bow Bow. Bai Bouldn't ko bennything cash!"

**BRIDGE_ _ _|**

The proximity alert suddenly cuts into Takato's nap. "Buh!? What?" he glances around until he spots the troublesome panel. "No..no. Don't you dare. Don't you dare..!"

**AT THE MEET_ _ _|**

"...Then you go left five meters, then right ten, right ahead of you should see where it's been dug. Right under the X shaped tree." Henry concludes.

"How do I know you have it all?" Mimi asks.

Henry smirks as he pulls aside his browncoat's right side. Revealing his Gun and a bar of food stuff.

TwoFry reaches for his shotgun.

Henry grabs the food stuff instead of his gun. With a smile, he tosses it to Mimi. "It's all there. Genuine Protein Mash, could feed a family for three months, maybe longer if they don't like their kids."

Mimi opens it and takes a small bite. "Yup. That's the stuff." She takes out a bag of coin and tosses it to Henry. "Pleasure doing business with you, Wong."

"Yup." Henry smiles.

Nobody moves.

"Aren't you gonna go get your treasure?" Henry asks.

"I make it a habit of not letting go of money I don't have to." Mimi states coldly.

Henry then tosses the bag of coin back, with a curious expression from Rika. "There."

"Wong. Are you really that dense?" Mimi blinks.

Henry glances to TwoFry. "Hey. Nice hat."

Suddenly, TwoFry's veeeeeeeeeery tall top hat is blow off his head with a sharp, "KSHWAM!!"

TwoFry slumps to the ground.

And Chaos breaks out around the group. Guns are drawn, and fired.

Almost all of Mimi's posey is taken out within moments as she tries to ride away on her horse..

One of the remaining guards fires a shotgun into Rika. She falls.

Another guard shoots Henry in the left arm. Just a graze.

Takeru with his sniper rifle manages to take out the others.

Suddenly, A well aimed shotgun blast from Rika takes the horse right out from under Mimi.

And all goes quiet.

"You allright?" Henry asks his first officer.

"Armor's...Dented." Rika growls as she throws he now wrecked shirt to the ground, revealing a long sleeved shirt of body armor.

Henry laughs as he walks over to Mimi, now trapped underneath her dead horse.

"Now then." He bends down, and grabs the bag of money from the cowboy hat wearing girl. "I also make it a habit of not letting go of money I don't have to."

She growls. "I'll get you for this, Wong! You'll pay!"

He laughs. "Yeah, good luck with that." he turns to leave as takeru runs up, panting.

"Henry! They followed us!"

"What?" Rika blinks.

"The gorram reavers followed us!" Takeru finishes.

**IN SPACE_ _ _|**

The old Trans U dives into the atmosphere like a bullet. It's rear thrusters adding more speed than necessary to get it through.

The large smoke trail following the ship just somehow manages to get larger.

**SERENITY CARGO BAY_ _ _|**

_"He took kari!" _Zoe's voice shouts over the intercom as Kouji drags Kari towards the air lock.

"Bandits" Kouji curses as, without warning, Takuya jumps down from the above railing, and decks him. Sending his main gun flying across the bay, and letting the second one land at Kari's feet.

"Ahhh!" She immediately shrinks away as Kouji and Takuya scramble across the room for one of the guns.

A punch here, a kick there, a roundhouse kick and a duck then and there.

Then, the gun flys across the room...again.

Kouji dives for the second one while Takuya goes for the first.

The Fed grabs his, pulls Kari into the open and aims it at her head at the exact moment Takuya grabs his and aims it at Kouji's head.

"Bow Ben..." Kouji is cut off as a bullet rips through his forehead and into the greymatter behind it.

"I hate feds." Henry comments as he holsters his gun.

"Bullet in the brainpan." Takeru comments as he and the Captain pick up the Fed's dead body and toss it out the main ramp as it raises to a closed position.

"Squish." Kari whispers while her brother looks her over.

"Did he hurt you? Did he do anything?" Takuya pounds out a question am minute.

"We're on!" Rika calls to the bridge as Henry and Takeru dive back through the inner airlock doors.

"Buzzards're the only ones gonna find him now!" Henry motions towards Kouji's body outside as _Serenity_ launches up into the air.

The small Firefly dips and dives through several small mountains and valleys as the much larger TransU appears behind it, a small speck in the sky.

**THE BRIDGE_ _ _|**

"I don't mean to alarm anyone. But I think we're being followed." Takato comments to Henry and Rika as they watch the horizon change drasticly.

"We need more speed." Henry orders while looking over the pilot's shoulder.

"Something we don't have." Takato pulls a pair of goggles over his eyes. "But maneuverability...That's a different story."

"C'mon, hon." Rika comforts him by squeezing his shoulder. "You can do it. You're a Leaf on the...!"

"Got it!...Leaf on the wind...Leaf on the wind..." takato cuts her short as he sharply cuts upward.

The Firefly shakes as a long range harpoon misses, just barely.

"I need a Ivan." Henry orders.

Takato raises an eyebrow. "Ivan eh?" he chocks on the intercom on. _"ZOE!"_

**OUTSIDE INFIRMARY_ _ _|**

"We need to get her to a shuttle." takuya orders as he tries to keep his sister off the med cart that Zoe was on.

"We'll use mine." Jeri offers.

"Great." Takeru rolls his eyes.

_"Zoe!"_

"What?" The mechanic hits a nearby intercom pannel.

_"How would you like to try a Crazy Ivan?"_Takato asks.

"Sounds Shiny!" Zoe smiles, and pats Takeru on the Shoulder. "C'mon! Get me to the engine room!"

"Right!" the merc picks her up bridal style, and starts to carry her off towards the engine room.

"I can help!" Cody starts to follow them.

"Come on." Jeri motions for Takuya to follow her.

But he stops short. "Where'd Kari go?"

Indeed as soon as the intercom had come on, the girl had seemingly melted into the ship.

**BRIDGE_ _ _|**

_"Okay. I'm here."_ Zoe states over the intercom.

"Great. Can you hurry it up now?" Takato asks as he glances to the rear view camera. "They're getting closer!"

"Closer?!" Henry asks as another harpoon misses. "They're getting closer? It's no wonder why their aim's getting better!"

"Leaf on the wind doesn't need lots of noise!" Takato growls as he sets _Serernity_ into a barrel roll to avoid several long range P-90 rifles. He levels the ship out, and presses the gas more.

**ENGINE ROOM_ _ _|**

The spinning engine of _Serenity_ was a sight to behold, that was for sure. The golden glow of the main drive was matched perfectly by Zoe's pick of orange paint.

But, As Takeru rationalizes, this isn't the time to be commenting on paint choice.

"Look! Look where I'm pointing!" Zoe growls to him as he looks around the room for the hydraulics box.

It was the time for praying that he could find the gorram hydraulics box!

And, as fate would have it, Takeru tripped right over the shiny silver box.

"There! Now it's real simple." Zoe continues as he opens the box to reveal a mess of wire.

"Simple?" Takeru growls at her. "You call that simple?!"

**BRIDGE_ _ _|**

_"We're ready."_ Zoe informs.

Takato smiles. "Here's something you can't do." He throws the three switches above him, and throws a lever to his right.

Suddenly, _Serenity_ spins about face, towards the Reavers, thrusters at max.

The tiny Firefly slingshots under, and past the TransU, and up into the air.

**ENGINE ROOM_ _ _|**

"NOW!" Zoe shouts.

With a grunt, Takeru pulls a large lever on the front end of the engine, while Cody presses a sliding piece of the wall into said wall.

The room glows the familiar green glow as the Firefly drive starts up.

**OUTSIDE_ _ _|**

To the casual observer, the tiny Firefly racing away from the Large TransU is an odd sight for sure. They were bound to be caught and eaten.

But, as the firefly's drive glows, a former war commander will recognise the move dubbed as "Crazy Ivan."

Here's where physics comes into play. Oxygen is a key fuel source for fire, and explosions in general. Without it, nothing happens. Firefly drives send out a burst of energy out as a propulsion system, Which is why they work great in space for crossing great distances in one burst of speed.

Not so much in Atmo.

_***KAAAAAAAAAAAFWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!***_

As if an atomic bomb is set off, the tiny firefly expels almost all of it's fuel supply in one burst, more than needed in the black, and definitely overkill in Atmo. But over kill is what is wanted here.

A mass murder of murdering creatures in one large super-Nova Blast.

The reaver ship is caught at ground zero, and is atomized instantly. The firefly known as _Serenity_ however, as the source, is thrown away from the explosion at speeds reaching Mach three.

**ENGINE ROOM_ _ _|**

"WAHOOO!" Takeru jumps up in down. "WAAAAAAAAAAAAHOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!"

Cody sighs and leans against a wall.

"That's my girl..." Zoe pats the ship. "That's my good girl."

"YEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

**BRIDGE_ _ _|**

_"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!"_ Takeru's shouts of joy fill the ship's intercom.

"Well...We're out of the woods..." Takato sighs. "we'll need to fill up...Did we get paid?"

"We got paid." Rika smiles as she pulls her husband away from the pilots chair and towards their bunk. "You...think you can help me out of this armor?"

"Work work work..." Takato sighs whistfully.

Henry laughs and sits down as he hears the lock snap shut behind his two crew-members.

**SEVERAL HOURS LATER_ _ _|**

Takuya walks up onto the bridge. "Ah, Captain."

"Yeah?" Henry turns to face the Doctor.

"Have you seen Kari?" He asks.

"'Could say so." Henry laughs.

"What's so funny?" Takuya asks.

"Takeru found her in his his bunk hiding under the bed with one of his guns." Henry calms down some at the Doctor's shocked expression. "Apparently she shot him in the back with a sand bag when he came down. Something about blue hands."

"When was this?" The doc asks.

"Some twenty minutes ago." Henry sighs. "Zoe's trying to get her to come out right now."

"And no-one told me about this because...?"

"Because you couldn't be found." Henry laughs. "Anyways..I suspect there's more to your little visit to the bridge besides looking for your sister."

"Yes...There is." Takuya sits in the co-pilot's seat. "Why didn't you kick me and Kari off on Whitefall."

"It comes to my attention that there's no better place for you two to hide than on the move." Henry starts. "And while we have a fully stocked infirmary, I don't have half a clue as to what some of that fancier stuff does."

"Are you offering me a job?" Takuya asks.

"That I am." Henry nods.

"How do I know you aren't going to kill me in my sleep and sell Kari off to some border world Barron for the cash?" he asks.

"Simple." the captain closes his eyes. "If I'm going to kill you, you're going to have a gun and you're going to face me. And if you ever infer that I ever deal in human trafficking again, I will do just that. Kill you."

Takuya gulps. "Well then...I guess You've got yourself a medic, Captain."

"Welcome aboard _Serenity_, Doctor Kanbara."

**ELSEWHERE IN THE BLACK_ _ _| ALLIANCE CRUISER **_**RIVEN**_**_ _ _|**

Commander Jp enters the conference room. "Sorry to keep you agents waiting and all..."

The two men in suits straighten their ties with their blue gloved hands. "Not a problem." Says the first.

The seconds starts in a strange language, which I shall show you in our language, but should it show up otherwise...Good luck wrapping your mind around it. "Let's Get Down To Business."

"He says we should get onto business." The first translates, and slides a folder, with the Blue Sun Logo on the front, to the commander.

He takes it and opens it. "Hikari Kanbara..." he reads.

"We want her back in our custody. Immediately."

"He said 'We want her back.' Simply put." The first man explains.

Commander Jp looks up. "But what can we do?"

"You issued a bulletin recently on a Firefly class transport." the first man starts. "Takuya Kanbara, the girl's sister, recently brought passage on that very ship."

"Hunt them down. And bring her to us." The second man states calmly. "Or we shall take action."

"'Hunt them down, and bring her to us.'" The first man translates. "'Or we shall take action.'"

Jp gulps. _'oh man...what have I gotten myself into this time?"_

**_END**


	4. Daughter

**I WILL OWN DIGIMON WHEN PIGS FLY.**

_**Alt. 'Verse Four: Daughter**_

DTC: This is an idea I got from viewing a particular piece of Digimon Fan Art on the net. 02 Tk holding 01 Kari in his arms. I thought, clearly they're not related, but clearly care about each other. How do they know each other? How do I make them care? This is how. Warning, it's a tad sad. So, be warned.

**TAKAISHI RESIDENCE_ _ _|**

Fifteen year old Takeru Takaishi watches the young six year old, currently sprawled out on his lap, in her sleep.

Not three weeks ago, Hikari "Kari" Kamiya had come under his care due to his Ex-Brother's careless actions. Her only parent was shot by Matt's hand.

Takeru shakes his head, that was all in the past now. What's done is done. How was he supposed to know that his brother had joined the Mafia when he had been only twelve? He sighs, they were in jail now. Thanks to him.  
_  
"You're turning Me-Your own brother!!!- in?!"_

_"No. I'm turning in someone I don't know."_

Takeru closes his eyes, and smiles. He supposed that if Matt hadn't have done what he did, Kari would have ended up in several foster houses, or such, for an unknown amount of time, due to the fact that her mother was dyeing anyways. Things worked out the way they did for a reason. And they could have ended up differently. He supposed that had Matt not joined up with the Mafia, this young little girl would be out in the world with no-one to care for her.

Kari shifts around slightly, and drops the blue lego Bionicle set that was in her arms.

Takeru bends down and picks it up. Tarix, The first Blue set that had been released that year, and now Kari's favorite set. He turns it over in his hands, absorbing the form in his mind. He had one himself, he actually had every Bionicle Set from 2001 to 2004, a few from 2005, and had only recently started collecting them again in the 2009 line upon getting his current job up at the local toy store. (Ten% off employee discount.) This particular Tarix was different than his, Kari had only partially built it, constructing the main body, but not even touching the remaining armor and weapon parts. He had to smile at that.  
_  
"It's you! See? All blue!"_

_"Since when am I all blue?"_

_"Since you caught them bad guys!"_

_"Heh. Is that so now?"_

Takeru shook his head and placed the set back into his adopted daughter's arms. It still amazed him that that Yamaki person had allowed him to keep her in his custody. Officially, Kari was his daughter, by legal standards, not to be drafted by the government later on out of his care. Yamaki and whoever he worked for were verry clear on that subject. The truent officer had dropped all grievances of Takeru taking care of Kari when Yamaki had shown his badge.

_"Look! He's just a kid! He can't be taking care of a little girl on his own!"_

_"Why not? Isn't is common for only existing relatives to take care of each other, even when the oldest isn't but five years older?"_

_"Well...I guess so...But still...!"_

_"My employers don't have your doubts, Mr__**.**__...Kanbera, was it?"_

_"Er...Uh...Yes, sir, Mr. Yamaki. I suppose you do know what you're doing over at Hypnos, then..."_

_"You have no problem with Mr. Takaishi here taking care of this little girl?"_

_"No, sir. We don't."_

Any clues as to what Hypnos was were few and far between. Google had no info on it, excluding a few scattered news articles here and there. But whatever it was, that officer had sounded...afraid? Scared? Both?...at the mere sight of the Man in the black suit's occupation.  
But Takeru owed them now, for allowing Kari to be in his care.

"It doesn't matter." Takeru whispers to himself. "It doesn't matter..."

"Mmm?" Kari looks up at him. "What th' matter?"

Takeru smiles, and shakes his head. "Nothing. Nothing at all."

"'Kay..." The girl starts to drift back to sleep again.

Takeru laughs. "Now, are you going to go back to sleep when it's only...?" he glances at a nearby clock. "Ten minutes or so, until dinner gets here?"

At this, all thoughts of sleep vanish from the girl's mind. She sits up and shakes her head. "Nonononononono!"

Takeru smiles. "Thought so!"

"Can I set the table?" Kari asks.

"Ah..." Takeru feigns thinking. "Why not?"

"Yay!" The girl gets up off the couch, and runs into the kitchen.

Takeru smiles, she was definitely his little girl, related by blood or not. And no-one would take her away from him.

_END_


	5. Shadows of the Night

**WARNNING! SOME MILD GROSE...NESS... SUGESTIVE THEMES AND WHAT NOT. DON'T READ IF YOU DON'T LIKE. YOU'VE BEEN WARNNED.**

_Alt. 'Verse Five: Shadows of The Night_

DTC: This is based on several things: a story I read involving the Tamers Cast in magical situations, a TV show/book called "the Dresden Files", and another show called "Burn Notice". I mixed it all together.

**CORNER OF EAST AVE. AND BRINK STREET_ _ _| SOMEWHERE IN CALIFORNIA_ _ _|**

Have you ever found your life to be just fine, just hanging out with your friends, with out a care in the world, only to have your life be thrown upside down?

Or in the case of my current predicament, hanging upside down by my leg from a big, mean and lean Oger, literally.  
_  
"Congrats, 'Keru. Your brother just killed half of his cell mates with nothing but his own teeth before escaping to do who knows what to the rest of the magical world. You've been drafted."_

I'm Takeru Takaishi, my brother turned werewolf and went on a killing spree when I was only eight, entering me into the world of magical creatures.

I had to move from Japan, to the United States, just to avoid the accusing glares of my former friends. I now help the police department in random Magical related cases.

It's a small, part time job. Mostly I come in when the police are stumped, which seems to be more and more lately. Over the last few months, I've been called into a few Murder cases due to the fact that the victim was killed in "Un-orthodox" ways. (Each one a different Monster of the Day! Ha!)

But, I'm rambeling now, aren't I? Now...Where was I...? Oh yeah!

_***FLASHBACK!!!***_**LOCAL HIGH SCHOOL_ _ _|**

About two weeks ago, I was just sitting in the cafeteria (Just because I have a job, I live alone {Did I mention that my brother was only arrested after he killed our parents by ripping their hearts out "Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom" Style?}, and help out the police, doesn't mean I don't have to go to school, ya know!), enjoying my simple little meal of green mush and the dreaded Mystery-Meat(tm), when a girl sat down at my table, since I usually eat alone, I take this as a sign of someone wanting my help.

"What do you want?" I ask, looking up into the Violet eyes of the local "Weird Girl", Ruki Makino, daughter of the famous model Rumiko, and the local hero cop Yamaki Mitsu, who was killed violently in a car bombing threat (which wasn't so much of a threat but an actual event) back some Six years ago.

"You're the guy who helps the cops out with the Mystery cases, right?" She asks quickly, nervously glanceing around the room.

"Yeah, so?" I ask, taking a bite from my Green Mush, I think they're supposed to be mashed potatoes, gone rotten and soaked in toxic waste and harmless mold, an odd combination for sure.

"I..." Ruki takes a glance around quickly before leaning closer to me and whispering. "I think I have a Vampire problem."

I smirk. "And what makes you think I can help you with that?" Of course I could easily, in a heartbeat (bad pun, sorry), help, but I don't want to seem like I'm EAGER for a job.

More nervous glances, before Ruki pulls back part of her red, shoulder length hair (Come to think of it, I've never seen her with it down before now), revealing two bright, red, and still lightly bleeding, bite marks. I gulp the mush down, no problem. That explains the loose hair, all-right. "My friend, Yolei, said that you could help me out. She said only a Shadow Hunter could stop whatever that jerk did to me."

Yolei, ah, that was a name I haven't heard in a long time (okay, so it was a week ago). When I first started my 'job' here in the U.S., there was this magic Drug dealer, Davis by the name, an Exalted Dragon Knight as they were called, and his lover, a normal human (Yolei), were my first break. Both were dealing magic potions, invisible to normal drug tests, to the upper and lower classes of the school, Love Spells, Speed and Mussel improvements, generic psychic vision formulas. You name it, they had it. When I busted them, they became informants for me, getting me what I needed every now and then, and, as it just so happened, sending me local school jobs. "Shadow Hunter" is what Davis always called me afterwards. But, besides the point...

"Technically, I'm a wizard of the...." I sigh at the sight of the classical Vampire bite of "Lust." "When did this happen?" It's impossible to tell how fresh bite marks are at first glance, as, if you aren't killed by the loss of blood, you've got vampire blood in it's place, slowly turning you into a vampire themselves, the wounds stay fresh, as so the biter can track the bite-ey afterwards, and convert them fully, otherwise, you've got a rouge tyranis vampyris.

"A week ago, at around sunset, I think..." Ruki answers, putting her hair back in front of the marks, camouflage as it's called. "Anyways, I was walking down East and Banks, when this guy - slick, black hair, dark sunglasses, classic rock-punk clothes, same age as us, and introduced himself as Ryo - cut in front of me and tried to walk me home. I declined. He didn't let off, and..." She shivers.

"I get it. He bit you." I finish, suddenly not feeling so hungry. "Let me guess, he left you for dead, too?"

"Dragged me to the park, left me in the bushes." Ruki glances down at the table.

"He just attacked you?" I ask, typically, vampires of my age, sixteen, tend to try to seduce their female targets first, invite them over, have their way, then suck 'em dry. "No lead in?"

"His attempt to walk me home was pretty rushed." she admits. "Like he had other things to do."

"I see..." This guy means business then. "He's injured then." If the need arises, a vampire's victim's blood can restore particular amounts of their energy. Vamp's also can go long amounts of time between feedings. Those that attack, and absorb energy for the sake of the game, are called Wraiths. Try to avoid them. "And severely." I note the absense of several classmates allover the room, male and female. "And it seems like he's not alone." Even when injured, Vampires typically go for the opposite gender, not both. This Ryo has a friend, and She's obviously injured as well.

"You mean...I'm not the only one being attacked?" Ruki squeaks.

"No. And if I'm right, a lot more kids are going to go missing before the week's out." I say sadly before smirking. "If I don't do something, that is."

**TAKERU'S APARTMENT/BASE OF OPERATIONS_ _ _| AFTER SCHOOL_ _ _|**

I sigh as I spot my door open, again. I motion to Ruki to stay hidden, before entering, water gun, with something besides water inside, drawn.

Left, right, left, kick open kitchen door, drop to floor, roll over to bedroom door, and slowly open it, peer inside...Nothing. Up, and over to the main room, safty off, aim, and open door...

"Ah! Takeru!" Comes an all to familiar voice. "Great to see ya!"

Meet the local ghost boy who drowned in a river twenty years ago, his name's Takato.

"For a ghost, you sure don't seem to be very, dead." I comment. Of course he wouldn't look dead. Ghosts do have, when inside the ten foot radius of my apartment's entrance, the ability to become corporial due to a magic charm my friend Kari gave me as a parting gift before I moved from Japan. She had no idea what it did, and neither did I, until ghosts started appearing around me. A few of my cases have been from people who have been recently killed, and come to me for help, in fact.

I walk back outside to the door, and give the all clear for Ruki to enter. "It's just a ghost. Nothing to be afraid of."

"G-Ghost?!" Ruki blinks.

"Relax, I'm tame!" Takato states, waving from inside. "My brother here isn't so fortunate to have been dead for ten years!"

I glare at the ghost boy.

"What's with the goggles?" Ruki asks, after entering, now staring at the yellow trimmed goggles on the Ghost boy's head.

"He drowned trying to swim a flooding river during a hurricane." I explain briskly.

"I know, completly Idiotic of me!" Takato laughs. "But what did you expect from a at-the-time six year old!"

"You look like we do though..." Ruki pokes him.

"Magic charm that makes him physical also makes him look his age had he not died." I explain, pointing to that aforementioned charm above the door frame. "Anyways, Down to business." I turn towards the remaining door in the hallway, a big steel one, and open it with ease. "Follow me." I go down a seemingly imposable staircase, TARDIS Time warp magic (so? I watch Doctor Who, it has great ways of dealing with certain monsters!), and emerge into a small stone brick lab.  
Takato and Ruki come down seconds later, the former sliding down the railing with a "weeeeee!" and the latter nervously coming down the steps.

I walk over to a bookcase, and start looking for a book. "I need you two to spread out, and find a book called 'ancient magic', it's always hiding on me!"

"It?" Ruki blinks.

"What do you expect from a book made of magic?" Takato asks, searching underneath a cabinet for magic potion making, of which I only use for making things only I can make.

After a few moments of searching, a small black car with an eagle/condor stylizing and a big golden V on it's nose, races out of the shadows, carrying the book I needed on it's back.

"Thanks, Retsu-Taka!" I thank the magical engine, as it races off again.

"What was that?" Ruki asks.

"An engine." I answer, flipping through the pages of the book. "magically enchanted toy from Engine Sentai Go-onger."

"Engine Zenkai Go-Onger?" she asks again.

"Sentai. Not Zenkai." Takato states. "It's Japanese."

"Ah." Ruki nods.

"Here we are!" I smirk, as I put the book down.

"Always on Page 42, the answer lies." Takato comments.

"Anyways." I say. "Takato, you'll need to make this listing." I take a pencil and circle a section. "It'll stop the Vampire venom in Ruki."

"V-Vampires?!" Takato jumps into the air, commicly high.

"A ghost afraid of Vampires?" Ruki blinks.

"His Grandfather told one too many ghost stories." I laugh. "Ironic, no?"

Ruki nods, laughing.

"Anyways, Takato." I smile. "You'll make the potion, and stop Ruki's Morph. While I go and slay the Baka who attacked her in the first place."

"Umm..." Takato looks over my shoulder, as he reads the circled text. "Hair of a WereWolf? Eye of a Polywog? Bellybutton of an Osmonian? Blood of a Bahro? Half of these ingredients are mythical by Magic standards!"

"Then..." I think. If what's needed doesn't exist, how can I stop Ruki from becoming full vamp'? Simple. I don't. Wait... Wait a minute... "...I think I have a plan."

"Where are you going?!" Ruki asks as I run for the stairs.

"Takato, Ruki, make the cure as best as you can, with what ever we've got. I'll be doing a bit of shopping!" I smirk.

**MAGIC DIMENSION_ _ _| MYST BIZZAR_ _ _| RARE INGREDENTS STAND_ _ _|**

I walk up to the booth, and look at the "CLOSED" Sign, with a hastily added "If you hear noise, it's just the kat!" in pink ink scrarwled on the bottom. I frown, and knock. The noises stop, somewhat, and someone yells out "WE'RE CLOSED!" I shake my head and knock again. "DUDE! WE'RE CLOSED!" I pull the closed sign off it's string, causing the canopy to spring open. "DUDE!!" Davis's head pops up from behind the counter. "Oh...It's you..."

"Hello, Davie." I say. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

"Not that you'd care, Shadow Hunter!" Comes Yolie's voice as her head comes up from behind the counter next.

"Look. I'm here on YOUR case, Yolei. Your fault." I answer. "So you'd better not send me away empty handed."

"Oh...The vampire bite?" Davis blinks, ducks behind the counter again, and comes up with a large bag of ingredients. "Here! Everything you need for the formula! Yolei said you'd be coming, so I prepared in advance!"

I take the bag, look through it, checking my list, and smile. "Decent Time, Davie." I turn around, and leave. "Later."

"Hey! Shadow Hunter! Aren't you going to close the door?" Davis shouts.

"The mood's already gone Davie!" I laugh, as I leave the bazaar.

**TAKERU'S LAB_ _ _|**

I come racing down the steps, water gun drawn. As soon as I saw the front door blasted in, I knew there was trouble.

And Trouble with a capital T is what I see before me.

"Ugh...Little help here...?" Takato asks, a big metallic spike running through his chest, pinning him to the wall.

"What happened?" I ask in reffrence to the torn up lab area.

"Well..." Takato groans as I start to pull the spike out of him. "Some big Green fello' waltzed in, grabbed Ruki, pined me to the wall, and trashed the place before vanishing in a puff of smoke and evil laughter."

"Seems like Ryo's Mate got offed." I note the especially ruined remains of the not even completed un-conversion potion. "And he's looking for a new one."

"Well, do you know where to look for her?" Takato asks as soon as the spike is removed, not even a tear in his clothes is to be seen.

"I have a notion." I frown as I go running off. "Call Yoshino, tell her that I'm going to bust some wanabe vampire who's killed a few people, and such, and attempted to convert some poor kids from school into his occult!"

"Got it chief!" Takato nods.

_***END FLASHBACK!!!***_** EAST AND BANKS_ _ _|**

And, let's just say that the knasty troll out front is nothing but a minor annoyance. But... "What I wouldn't give for a Knasty Knife right about now!" I groan, the blood rushing to my head.

"HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH...." The troll laughs.

"But...A glowing blue sword will have to do!" I Summon said sword from the reaches subspace, and...

_**  
*KASSSSSHINK! SPLAT!***_

...."Off with his head!" as they say. The troll explodes into magic energy, to be remade again, in a better life one would hope.

I smirk and run towards the building from which the troll emerged, at least after a moment of letting the blood reach the proper places (don't want to be fighting with a headache, now do we?).

I had no idea how true my previous comment to Takato was, when I entered that building.

All the missing kids from school, wearing nothing but loose fitting black robes, wandered about seemingly with out a purpose, all of them had bite-marks on their necks in varying places. Some were sloppily done, amateurish. Others were professional.

And in came the realizitations like incomming waves on the beach:

1. Ryo and his bride to be were devious, sucking the blood out of different kids or random passersby for who knows how long, just enough to convert them, and brought them into this place. But Ruki...Ryo had either taken a tad too much blood, or he was interrupted. Either way, it would make Ruki's conversion painfully slow. He'd left her to live on as normal for a while, then take her. To complete the process.

2. Once a certain amount of the populous of the school was converted, they would move across the country, slowly but surely, converting the entire United States, Canada, Mexico, and who knows how many other countries.

3. Ryo and his blushing bride would rule a world of Vampires. Taking over the world using the butterfly effect of biting, and by natural reproduction itself afterwards (Guessing by all the loose fitting clothing). Devious, and yet elegant in it's simplicity!

4. I had to find Ruki, and kill those gorram Vampires before this went further. NOW!

I ran into the crowd of Kids turned Vampires, shooting off my water guns, I have a less than healthy collection of them as you may guess, filled with the deconversion liquid, into random student's, and even adults', mouths. I threw punches, kicks, and random side tackles into anyone who got into my way, and, by the right hand rule, made my way into Ryo's chamber.

Only...Ryo wasn't the one sitting in the large throne like I expected. No...This was the queen. She wasn't dead like I thought. And she wasn't who I was expecting to see even if I had thought she was alive.

"Hello, Takeru." Jeri Kato says in a very seducting tone while standing up from her throne, the somewhat see through black dress she was wearing swaying around her legs.

I grimaced. Jeri was a friend of mine back in Japan. She was sweet, kind, caring, even named student of the month a few dozen times. This Jeri before me...Wasn't her.

"Jeri... Jeri Kato...What happened to you?" I ask.

"Ohhh...Never-mind about her... She's gone now. Burried as some would say." Jeri continued her seducing tone, I wasn't falling for it. Enough of my past enemies had tried it in the past so much that I was immune to it by then. "What about you?"

"What's to say?" I spin around the room, trying to locate Ruki somewhere, but Jeri would somehow appear in front of me, walking in a circle around me. "I hunt monsters. Monsters like you."

"Oooooooooooh! Takeru! That huuuuuurts!" the vampire queen feigns being stabbed in the heart. Something I very much want to do right now. "How can you be soooooooooooo mean?!" she laughs.

"I changed." I state. "And so did you. Now, how did you become a Vampire?"

"Oh, Quite simple really!" Jeri smirks. "You remember that Mimi Girl?"

"Me me? Since when did you take singing lessons?" I scoff. "Of course I remember her. She's the girl Matt dated before he went on his wild killing spree!"

"Who do you think turned him INTO that killing monstrosity?!" Jeri laughs, evilly.

"You can't be serrious." I frown. "Mimi was too dumb to be a devious vampire."

"Vampire?" Jeri blinks. Then she laughs, like she just heard a good joke. "Oh Silly! She's not a vampire! She's just a normal! A Muggle! A Magician! Just like you! Only everything you aren't!"

"She fell." I surmise. "She became the verry thing she swore to fight."

"A monster!" Jeri finishes, giggling madly. "Now you begin to see the big picture!"

"All I see is what's in front of me." I state. "And I don't see what I came for. Now, Where's Ruki?"

"Ruki?" Jeri pretends to think. "Ruki...? Ruki...? Ruki...? Oh! Ruki! The redhead?" I nod. "Ah, Ryo - such a nice tease to play with, by the way - is turning her fully. And when I'm done with you, you'll both be fully converted."

"Not if I have anything to say about it." I pull an ancient type of Kitsune magic, Shadow melding. And since this place is practically all shadows, I vanish from her view, smell, and touch.

"ARGH! That's not verry nice Takeru!" Jeri growls. "RYOOOOOOO! KILL THAT GIRL!" she shouts, and it echos through the building. "KILL HER NOW!"

"No..." Using the Shadow meld to my advantage, I run out of the room when Jeri's back is turned, through the winding corridors, and passageways. I Let the shadows guide me. In this moment alone, I move faster than I've ever moved before in my entire life, Hours dragged into days, Minutes into hours, and seconds into minutes. I run, and I run. Faster than the speed of light. Faster than sound. I don't tire, I can't stop. I run. I have to, otherwise, Ruki will be dead. And...

I enter a brightly lit room, no shadows, ending the meld.

...I found her, laying on a table, seemingly dead. Her clothes were gone, and a white sheet covered her up to her neck from her feet, like in a morgue.

It was so sureal, when looking back. I felt like I'd lost. I'd finially lost. Then, the shock of it all made the super slow time effect that came from running in a shadow meld over me shatter. And, instantly, her chest rose, back into a normal breathing pattern, and, someone was yelling.

"---f Karzahnii in a gravy boat are you!?" Ryo finished.

I shake my head, stare at the vampire boy, and draw my sword from subspace again. This would be fun.

Time seemed to slow, only for him this time, as I run forward at full speed, sword glowing blue, as I shouted. **"SANCTION HIKARI!"** A finishing spell meaning, Final Light.

The thud of Ryo's head hitting the ground echos through the Vampire coven. Jeri's scream was next as gunfire rings out; good timing, the police are here.

Ruki groaned, and I knew I had to act, as it wasn't a normal human groan, but not a vampire's. A hybrid's.

I quickly uncap my only remaining water gun, and pour the liquid down her throat. Nothing changed, except for the fact that her groans were becoming more human by the second. I sigh in releif, I saved her just in time.

**THREE DAYS LATER_ _ _| MAKINO RESIDENCE_ _ _| OUTSIDE_ _ _|**

"Well, here's your stop." I smile at Ruki. "Finially glad to be out of that hospital?"

"Yup." She nods, with her hair still let down, covering those bite marks that will never go away, unfortunately. "I...Thanks for the save, Takeru."

"It's nothing." I reply. "Just all part of the job."

"Oh..." She frowns. "Are you ever going to come by?"

"Of course I am." I smile and place my hand on her shoulder. "If I had made it a bit too late in giving you that reversal potion - giving you all the powers of a vampire but still being human - I would still keep tabs on you. But, hey! Everything turned out okay! You're not a vampire, Jeri got deported, the Japanese devision of the Mystic Force have her in lock up, and I got paid."

Ruki smiles, showing her now sharpened - to a degree - canine teeth. One of the few parts of the transformation the potion didn't stop. "So...Is that all you fell obliged to do, mister wizard, keeping tabs on me?"

"It's not the powers that make a monster, it's the lack of humanity." I smile in return as I turn to leave. "We lose the war if the good guys become just as bad as the bad guys when it comes to friends."

"Your right on that one." she smiles and laughs. "What's the point if you don't have friends?"

"See ya later?" I ask.

"Yeah." Ruki replies. And, after I make it a few steps away. "Takeru?"

"Yeah?" I turn around and get kissed, on the lips. A definite first for me. She pulls away. "What was that?"

"A kiss." she rolls her eyes. "'Keru."

"I know that..." I smile, and kiss her back. A kiss which is interrupted by someone coughing. We separate and turn towards the source. Ruki's younger sister, Chika.

"What?" Ruki asks.

"Some doof named Marcus called and asked for your Boyfriend over there." The younger girl replies, trying to stay into the shadows for some reason. "Something about a guy hanging himself in the park."

"Did he mention anything else." I ask, intrigued.

"Just that he was branded." Chika turns into the house.

"Well then..." I shrug and head for the gate. "A detective's work is never done!"

"See ya later, 'Keru!" Ruki smiles.

"Later!" I smile as I run down the street towards the park. Only to be halted five seconds later.

"WAIT UP, 'KERU!" Ruki comes chasing me down.

"What? Another kiss?" I ask.

"No." She lightly punches me in the arm. "I'm coming with you."

"Huh?" I blink.

"Duh, if I'm going to get used to my boyfriend fighting monsters, I've got to get some practice in. And what better way to do that than beatin' up some monsters?!" She smashes her right fist into her left hand.

"Okay then!" I smile, and the two of us run off. "Just a warning though. Most hangings usually have lots of blood and..."

But! That's a story for another day.

_END


	6. Back Step

**AU 'VERSE SEVEN: **_**BACK-STEP**_

DTC: You are about to be let into the most top secret facility the government holds. We have a device that can send one human being back in time, Seven Days.

**ABOVE EARTH_ _ _|**

A strange metallic sphere of un-known origins floats in a loose orbit, it's orange garbed pilot had lost all live upon his test flight's exit of the atmosphere. Leaving the sphere derelict.

A space shuttle in the distance draws closer to bring the sphere back home, a Black Space Shuttle, to be precise, with a strange label on the side printed on it. "NeverNeverLand."

**KENTUCKY STATE PRISION_ _ _|**

The one lone occupant of the room bounces a basket ball up and down from his hands to the leaky roof above him.

His maroon hair is dimmer than it once was, and his eyes seem more grey than their natural brown.

This man is Davis K. Motomiya. He was imprisoned for mental instability's. "For the safety of his friends and family" they said.

"Che..." Davis rolls his eyes. "Yeah right."

What had really gone down was that he had seen something he shouldn't have. A strange sphere of energy flashing accross the sky like a blur. He swore there was a man inside, but his fellow teammates called him crazy. The meteorologists said it was just "A piece of an old satalite."

Davis K. Motomiya knew better.

**WASHINGTON D.C._ _ _| OUTSIDE THE WHITE HOUSE_ _ _|**

"Hi!" A perky young reporter says to the camera and it's viewers behind it. "Mimi Storm here reporting, live outside the Whitehouse where the President is due to give a state of address on the recent threats on the country by our..." She trails off as a soft whirring cuts into the air. "...What in Yggdrasill's name...?" She turns to face the White House just as a long range ICBM loaded with radioactive materials impacts the east wing.

**SOMEWHERE IN NEVADA_ _ _| CODENAME: NEVERNEVER LAND_ _ _|**

_"Mimi storm here, reporting live outside the white house where the President is due to give a state of address on the recent threats on the country by our...What in Yggdrasill's name...?"_The recording replays her last few moments as a large nuclear explosion rips through the area, cutting the tape to static.

"This was yesterday." The head of the team states as he turns to face his assembled group of compatriots. This man is Director Taichi "Tai" Kamiya. "With the President dead, we've been auttomaticly authorized a Back-Step."

"A backstep? We don't have a pilot!" US Navy Captain Takeru "T.K." Takashi states as he croses his arms.

"If we don't try, we never succeed." A purple haired female with a Russian accent by the name of Miyako states as she re-adjusts her glasses.

"Yeah yeah yeah." The NSA Agent named Marcus Daimon cuts in. "We don't have time for this. Either we try to stop this, or we don't. What do we do?"

"We have Seven Days to prevent this." Miyako cuts him off. "In that time I'm sure I can find a pilot for the sphere in time."

In his wheelchair, Dr. Kourishiro "Izzy" Izumi sighs. "If we don't, we can use T.k."

"What?" The man sits up. "Me? I'm not a..."

Suddenly, a sharp whistle cuts through the air.

Everyone looks up to the oldest person in this conference room.

Dr. Jyou "Ol' Reliable Joe" Kido sighs. "Do we need to do this again?"

"Thanks Joe." Tai smiles and faces the room. "Miyako. Do you have a pilot?"

"I have a few..." The girl starts.

"Good. I want you and T.k. to go interview them. Make sure that they've had air-force training, not any of that 'cool hair' stuff like our last guy." Tai states.

"Poor Yamato." Izzy comments nonchalantly.

"We've got seven days, people." Tai slams his fist onto the table. "Let's make sure our President's alive at the end of it. Dismissed."

With that said, everyone stands.

**KENTUCKY STATE_ _ _| CAFETERIA_ _ _| THREE DAYS LATER_ _ _|**

Davis raises an eyebrow as he watches the news on the TV. A Nuclear Missile had been launched from out of nowhere and killed everyone in the Washington D.C. Area three days ago. And they were still talking about it. "What a way to go." he sighs.

As he turns to face his lunch, a large blue folder lands infront of him with a thud. "huh?" He looks up.

"Davis K. Motomiya?" Miyako asks.

"What's it to you?" Davis asks, picking at his food.

"We have a proposition for you." Miyako states as she sits down.

"What kind of preposition? They? Them? We? It? She? He? Me?" Davis jokes.

"Proposition." Miyako corrects.

"Well, what is it?" Davis asks, glancing up to the Russian female before him.

"We have a device that needs piloting." She opens the folder to reveal a non-disclosure agreement. "You're our next choice."

Davis raises an eyebrow. "What happened to the ones before me?"

"Either dead or didn't agree." a second voice cuts in.

Davis looks up and smiles. "T.k...."

"That's me." The Navy Captain sits down across from him.

"Haven't seen you in a while." Davis returns to his lunch.

"Yeah, well, work's been a pain." Tk closes his blue eyes.

"I can see that..." Davis stifles a gag as he downs some mysterious meat. "She your wife?"

The looks on both Miyako's and Tk's faces is enough to send Davis into a laughing fit. "I'm just kidding!"

"Not very funny, Mister Motomiya." Miyako growls.

Davis sighs and glances to his friend. "So, they hired you to get me to join up in whatever it is they're doing?"

Tk shakes his head. "No, I've been with the project from the start. But, when I heard that you were on Miyako's list of possible candidates for pilot, who was I to resist coming to visit an old friend?"

"An old friend who left me to hang when I went up for my psych evaluation." Davis growls.

"Yeah, well...I had my reasons." T.k. sighs.

"Such as?" Davis asks.

"The object you saw was no meteorite, mister Motomiya." Miyako states and pushes the folder forwards.

Davis raises an eyebrow. "You're in on this?"

"Sell your soul and find out." T.k. jokes and slides a pen towards Davis.

**NEVER NEVER LAND_ _ _| A DAY LATER_ _ _|**

Davis stares around the secret facility in awe as he is led ahead by T.k. and Miyako.

"This is it, Davis my friend." T.k. smiles as they reach a large pair of hangar doors. "You're about to be let into the biggest secret that the government holds!"

"What is it?" Davis asks.

"Mister Motomiya." Miyako says as she unlocks the doors. "We have a device that can send one human being back in time."

"Seven Days." T.k. finishes as the large two doors swing open with a loud "hiss", revealing an even larger hanger with a large sphere inside, seemingly tiny compared to the size of the room.

"That's..." Davis glances around as he enters the chamber, spotting technicians and scientists of all sorts hustling around the room, with the Sphere as the center of attention, men with welding guns, for some odd reason, race around the sphere's outer edge, welding things together. "That's the thing...That's the..."

"That's the device that supposedly made you crazy, mister Motomiya." Miyako finishes.

"Is he our new pilot?" Comes Izzy's voice as he rides up.

"Davis, this is Izzy, He's the main technician on the sphere's internal workings." T.k. points out.

"Yeah, nice to meet ya." Davis waves absentmindedly as he stares at the sphere.

"Is he okay?" Izzy asks.

"Shocked to find out that his best friend works at a job designed around the device that made him lose three years of his life in a prison. But otherwise, fine." T.k. laughs.

"Ah." izzy looks up to Davis. "Well then, if things work out, we'll be seeing a whole lot of each-other."

"Huh?" Davis looks down to the red-head in the wheelchair.

"If you'll just follow me." Izzy turns his chair around one-eighty, and rides off towards another direction. "We'll begin your testing, and then we'll do our Back-Step."

"Ah...Okay..." Davis blinks and follows him.

**MEDICAL LAB_ _ _| SEVERAL HOURS LATER_ _ _|**

"Sphere Internal Gyroscopic Horizon Recovery Test At Maximum Intensity. Try Number: Forty-Two. Let's try this again shall we? Hopefully this time you won't get thrown off." Miyako calls out as the simulated cockpit starts up, the screen in front of him shows the sphere dis-engaging from it's clamps and allowing it's seven different green points free movement around the screen. "Core Reactor at ninety percent."

"Yeah. I'll try not let this bucking bronco kick me to the ground again." Davis pulls a pair of goggles over his eyes and tightens his grip on the joystick.

"Reactor at One Hundred percent, engage." Miyako calls with a twinge of humor as Davis slams his hand into the large green button in-front of him.

The sphere suddenly jerks forward, back, to the left, to the right, around int a full three-sixty motion, up, down, and back again in at-least one second alone, and continues to randomly assault the pilot with different intensity's of rotation.

All the while, Davis has to keep the sphere on screen's seven points exactly, or close enough, to their assigned positions while a small timer at the top counts backwards. Saturday, Friday, Thursday, Wednesday, Tuesday, Monday, Sunday are the assigned days. And as the one minute ride comes to a sudden stop, the timer somehow started it's loop again.

Miyako gasps at the testing records as Davis jumps out of the test cockpit relatively un harmed. Amazingly, he had kept the sphere on target the whole time, with only one or two points coming unaligned the whole time...For the Forty-First time. "Again Mister Motomiya."

"What?" Davis blinks. "I've done this test at the highest intensity over fifty time!"

"Forty-Two." Miyako corrects.

"And each time I've gotten it down pat." Davis points out. "The least you could do is let me do this mission of yours for real!"

"Not until I'm satisfied with the results." Miyako comments, pointing back to the training device.

"Shouldn't you be satisfied?" Davis asks.

Miyako points towards the device without a word.

Izzy coughs, making his presence in the room known. "I step out for one minute and you've taken over the testing on my behalf?"

Miyako mutters something in Russian.

Izzy rolls his eyes and reads over the testing results. A moment later, he turns to Davis. "Suit up." Then to Miyako. "Start the count down."

"But, Izzy..." Miyako starts.

"No buts." Izzy wheels over to an intercom. "We are go for Back-step. I repeat, we are a go for Back-step."

**SEVERAL MINUTES LATER_ _ _|**

Davis, now clad in a bright orange jumpsuit, and carrying an astronaut's helmet under his arm, walks down the main hallway into the sphere room, a grim expression on his face.

"Okay" Tai starts while walking along side the chrononaut. "When you arrive, find a phone and dial the number 555-42Nv-53Ln. Key word is 'Conundrum.' Any questions?"

"Yeah, do I get a free soda and lunch upon return?" Davis jokes as he ascends the stairway up towards the sphere cockpit.

Tai shakes his head. "Good luck, Davis."

The chrononaut puts on his helmet and dives into the sphere.

Tai slams his hand onto a red button on the ramp and dives away while the sphere is sealed, and a warning siren blares.

_"PLEASE CLEAR THE AREA. BACKSTEP IN PROGRESS."_

Davis flips a few switches, and the sphere on the screen in-front of him loosens it's grip on reality.

Marcus crosses his arms as the sphere is surrounded by a field of energy.

"Reactor at sixty percent." Miyako counts out.

"So, what do you think?" Izzy asks.

"I think it's all going to explode." marcus answers.

"Reactor at Seventy percent." Miyako continues.

"Davis is a great pilot." Tk smiles. "If he can't do it, no-one can."

Joe sighs. "I just hope we all don't get irradiated."

"Reactor at Eighty percent." Miyako counts out.

Tai laughs. "I have a hunch, this is going to work."

"Reactor at Ninety percent."

"But, I could be wrong." Tai smirks.

"Reactor at One Hundred Percent. ENGAGE!" Miyako calls.

Davis slams his hand onto the green button, and the world around him explodes into light.

The sphere launches from it's place in time and space, and backwards through the universe.

Davis enters the sphere room in awe, then steps out in reverse.

The sphere, under it's pilot's control, travels through a wormhole, and keeps time inside it the same while everything moves backwards.

The arguing in the conference room stops, then recommences as if on rewind.

The alien device re-enters Earth's atmosphere, Davis, inside, smirks wildly.

Washington D.C. is hit by the nuclear missile, explodes, then, everything back-steps.

**SOMEWHERE IN THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS_ _ _| COLORADO STATE_ _ _| FOUR DAYS BEFORE BOMBING_ _ _|**

Davis crawls out through the sphere hatch and onto the ground. "Let's do it again..." he mutters after a glance around his surroundings.

**NEVER NEVER LAND_ _ _|**

Suddenly, the phone in Tai's office rings. He picks it up. "Hello?"

_"Cunundrum."_ comes Davis' voice.

Tai blinks. The sphere had gone missing earlier that day. And now someone was calling him on his private line calling himself... "Conundrum? Forgive me if I sound brash. But... Who in the world are you?"

A laugh from the other side. _"I'm the boogieman..."_

**CONFERENCE ROOM_ _ _|**

Davis was on speaker phone. And thoroughly freaking out the Back-Step project team members.

_"And No, Miyako, the device was Endothermic. Not exothermic."_

Miyako blinks. "That doesn't even make sense!"

_"That's what Izzy said."_ Davis laughs.

Said man in the wheelchair's jaw hits the table.

"So, in essence, someone blows up D.C. just for the sake of it?" Marcus asks. "I say he's making it all up."

"He wouldn't make anything up. He's provided the proper clearance codes." Joe states. "He's a chrononaut."

_"Now, if you guys'll excuse me, I have to go get back to my little spot in prison."_ Davis comments.

"Wait! Davis!" T.k. cuts in. "You were in prison?"

_"You left me there after my last psych evaluation. Ah. I know. Busy with national security and all..."_ Davis' voice comes off with a twinge of sadness and anger.

T.k. blinks. "I wondered why you never replied to my letters."

_"well, now you know. Right now my cell bed looks mighty comfortable right now..."_ Davis goes to hang up.

"Wait." Tai interrupts the cut off. "If you're a chrononaut, you've got to report back here. Immediately."

_"Suddenly. I have a strange desire to go to France. Or maybe the launch sight right here in the U.S. Of A.! Bye now!" _With that, he hangs up.

Silence fills the room.

"I need a full military lockdown of the endothermic missile sights immediately." Tai orders. "T.k., I want you to go recover Our chrononaut!"

"Yes sir!" The navy captain stands up.

"You've got it!" Marcus nods.

**SOMEWHERE IN NEW MEXICO_ _ _|**

All the endothermic missile silos were being locked down. NOW!

Employee number 2-39 had no time left, she had to launch the missile now!

Sneaking over to the main controll pad, she starts to ener in the launch code and target sights.

"Ahhem." Someone coughs behind Employee Number 2-39, turning around, She spots Davis smiling broadly as his fist launches into her left cheek.

"Ya know." Davis comments as the woman hits the ground. "Mom always said to never hit a lady. But when she's about to blow up Washington D.C., I'm ever so willing to make an exception."

"Those corrupt politicians deserve it!" 2-39 growls, spinning around and kicking her feet at his legs.

"Really now? I don't see it that way." Davis rolls his eyes and jumps away from the spinning female...terrorist? "Now. Are you working for someone, or are you just tired of me monologuing?"

"Sora." She says and throws a desk chair at the chrononaut.

"My name's Davis!" He smirks and flips away. "Nice to meet 'cha, Sora!"

She growls and charges at him. How in the world could he be so...HAPPY!? "What are you?"

"I'm just your friendly neighborhood---" Davis ducks under her leg. "---Concerned citizen!"

"CIA?" She asks, punching at the still avoiding Davis.

He sticks his tongue out at her as he jumps onto the launch console, easily pressing the delete key all the way to the beginning. "Good luck tryin' to blow up D.C. now!"

2-39 growls and jumps at him, pinning Davis to the console. She narrows her red-tinted eyes as Davis gulps. "I sware to you...!"

_***BANG! ZAP!!!***_

The wanna-be terrorist goes rigid, and then collapses to the ground, revealing Tk with a Tazer gun at the entrance of the room.

"Man, you sure do know how to make an entrance!" Davis rubs his arm where the girl's sharp fingernails had pinched his skin.

Tk rolls the girl over onto her back and removes the ID tag in her front right pocket. "Hikari Yagami, 18." he reads and shakes his head. "What is a girl like her doing in a place like this?"

"I got pinned by an eighteen-year-old, huh?" Davis comments. "She said the word 'Sora' durring our little fight. That mean anything to you?"

Tk shakes his head. "Nope." He pauses. "How did you get in here anyways?"

Davis smiles and tosses his friend a card. "Never never land has some high-up clearance."

Tk blinks at the front of he card. "'Daisuke Motomiya.' You went with 'Daisuke'?!" He asks.

"I was asked for a fake name, so I gave one!" Davis shrugs and sighs. "Looks like you guys got yourselves a new field agent."

"Heaven help us." Tk jokes.

**NEVER NEVER LAND_ _ _| THE NEXT DAY_ _ _| TAI'S OFFICE_ _ _|**

"Good work people." Joe smiles. "We've successfully Back-steped. We've saved D.C. And we've managed to find out about a new shadow group with-in our government."

"Fulcrum, Shield, DATS, FBI group number 42, the RING, now Sora?" Marcus asks. "What's next, Alphabet Soup?"

Davis shrugs. "Just so long as I don't have to go back to prison, I'm fine with whatever this 'fine country' of ours throws at me."

"Mister Motomiya, it's not all fun and games." Miyako starts.

Tk then walks into the office, carrying a yellow folder. "This just in. Miss Light was brainwashed. Last thing she can remember is going to bed three months ago, just before graduation." He opens the folder up and shows a picture of said graduation. "There's more. Half of the student body went missing the next night. We've traced a few them down." He frowns. "Col. Ichijouji reports that a Tazer shock when they started to run broke them out of whatever mind control was put over them."

"Same story as Hikari?" Izzy asks.

"Same story." Tk nods.

Tai clenches his fist. "Looks like this 'Sora' group means business then." He sighs. "I just hope that we can stop whatever they had planned."

**END**


End file.
